World champions Brazil will need to come out fighting against the United States tomorrow if they are to avoid an embarrassing exit from the Confederations Cup.
Last night's 1-0 defeat by Cameroon in their Group B opener in Paris has left coach Carlos Alberto Parreira with few options if his mainly second-string side are to stay in the eight-nation tournament.
First among the tasks will be to bolster a midfield which started well under industrious skipper Emerson, but then progressively lost the plot in the second half against the combative African champions.
Parreira will also be disappointed that Samuel Eto'o's stunning match-winner came from a simple punt upfield which baffled defender Lucio and allowed the Cameroon striker time to plant a dipping shot in the Brazil net from 20 metres.
At the other end, Ronaldinho, who plays his club football for Paris St Germain, and Adriano were too often found toothless when Brazil needed bite going forward.
However, there is still time to repair wounded pride against the Americans and then against Turkey on Monday in St Etienne.
Added to that, Bruce Arena's side - outclassed by the Turks in a 2-1 defeat that was not reflected in the scoreline - will not pose the same threat as Wilfried Schaefer's Cameroon.
Schaefer has brought a particularly strong squad to France, with Thursday's side comprising five members of their African Nations Cup winning team from 2002 - including Eto'o, midfielder Geremi and skipper Rigobert Song at the back.