NEW YORK, June 25 — Sunday’s dramatic World Cup match between the United States and Portugal may have ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw for Team USA, but it was a ratings winner on US television.

Cable sports network ESPN said Monday the late-afternoon game scored a 9.1 in preliminary overnight Nielsen ratings — meaning about one in 11 US households tuned in, according to showbiz trade journal Variety.

That’s the highest overnight rating so far in the ongoing tournament in Brazil which has overall seen a 26 per cent increase in US viewership as compared to the 2010 World Cup.

Locally, ratings for Sunday’s game were highest in the nation’s capital Washington, the Ohio city of Columbus, New York, Boston, and the Connecticut cities of Hartford and New Haven.

Overnight Nielsen ratings are based on data collected from the 70-odd per cent of US households equipped with meters that automatically tell Nielsen what programs they are watching.

More comprehensive ratings figures were expected later Monday.

The US side’s previous World Cup match against Ghana scored a 7.0 rating, which translated into 11.1 million viewers across the nation. — AFP-Relaxnews