Announcer from nbc news, this is today with lester holt and erica hill. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Welcome to today on this sunday morning. Im erica hill. Im Peter Alexander along jenna wolfe and dylan dreyer. Lester is gearing up for a huge world cup this evening. Without question. We know lester. Hes not doing that. Weve known lester many years and hes not doing that. He may not be upright now watching us. I think we should call him. Im going call him now. While jenna calls im really going to call him. We have other things to get to today, im sure. In terms of the world cup, the faceoff on the plaza, which lester is going to be sorry he missed. If you have watched any of the world cup or have a sense of how massive it is, people like to yell goal and see how long they hold that note or whatever you call it. Peter has been practicing all night. The top story, if the u. S. Beats portugal they move on to the next round. Germany and ghana played to a tie on saturday. An american victory would vault the u. S. To the top of the world cup known as the group of death. Bill is in brazil this morning outside the stadium where the game will get played. Bill, good morning to you. Reporter yes, good morning from the amazon, peter. This is the day when american soccer players can light their name in history, beat portugal and they can go through to the knockout stage faster than any u. S. Team. The coach is talking tough. He says we want to put portugal in their place. Tough coach, tough captain. Clint dempsey is bruised, his nose broken, but his thumb is up. The u. S. Team was given little chance believes its time has come. A final Training Session in the stadium where tonight they play a weakened portugal team. The coach wants to weaken them more. This is now the moment you can prove yourself. This is the moment where you can save up and play those guys and put them in place. So, we want to put their team in their place. Reporter portugal fans believe ronaldo can stop the u. S. He was wounded after portugals first game. His coach was blunt. Either we win, he says or if we lose, we are packing our bags. We are going beat portugal. They are not as good as people think. I believe we can win we are athletic. We have the condition for the heat. Were going to come out and win, 31. If you win, youre in. The usa is a force to be reckoned with. Reporter as for star portugal players what about that guy is it the one that cry as lot . Reporter the fans are more confident after watchi ining gey fail to beat ghana. The u. S. Is alive and kicking. And history is on americas side. The u. S. And portugal faced each other once before in the world cup 12 years ago. The u. S. Won 32, reached the knockout stage and knocked portugal out. One other point here, peter, its 8 00 in the morning, 80 degrees. It is stifl. Hopefully, the u. S. Team will cope with these teams better than portugal. Thanks very much. We will be rooting for all of us in the front row. Soccer ledge zend, brandi chastain, has won two world cups, two gold medals. Nice to have you with us. Thank you so much. Bill just mentioned there is some talk that maybe the u. S. Team is better suited than portugal. Could this be an advantage for team usa . Well, i think that the weather and the variables like weather become a mental part of the game. If you believe it is on your side, then you can feel good about that going into the game. Ultimately, the game is played 11 players against 11 players. Portugal has a player in renaldo who is the worlds best player this past year, this team is feeling a lot of confidence. If they think weather is on their side, i think they should go with that. You mentioned confidence. There are some seasoned players and younger players. How much has that been helping them thus far . I think it is a great mix. You have great veterans in michael bradley, tim howard, clint dempsey. Those players give confidence to the players that have never been there before. It is kind of like that childlike naiveness of our younger players that gives them this kind of like, why not, why cant we go out there and get through this group and go on to the knockout round. It is a nice, delicate blend of veterans and firsttimers for the world cup. We know that there is plenty of support from people at home. They are saying, why not. We need to ask you about your former teammate, hope solo, arrested last night on charges of Domestic Violence. When you heard that, what was your reaction . I think overall it was sad for me. Mainly, because i think she is a great talent. She obviously has proven herself on the field. I think it is a little bit of the writing was on the wall with hope. I hope for her sake that she resolves the issues that face her and that she can get on with the rest of her life. Soccer is a wonderful game. We have been seeing such great play on the play in brazil and the excitement. The kind of camaraderie that goes along with playing in the game and being in a world cup. I hope that everybody watches this u. S. Team with a lot of excitement and a lot of patriotism and that they are very excited about what this u. S. Team is doing right now. We are looking forward to watching it too. We should point out. You are in california because you didnt want to leave. You are doing it exactly the way you did when they won against ghana. We are hoping that that barbecue will pay off at your house in california, brandy. Thanks. You are welcome. I am very proud to wear this nice crest right here. I am cheering on the usa all the way. Thanks for getting up early. We want to turn to potentially dangerous weather in the nations midsection. Dylan has been tracking that for us. For a week long, this entire area through the midwest has been under the gun with a slight risk located right over those areas. Take a look. This is some of the flooding we saw from the crow river in minnesota. It is at its highest level in 50 years. The rain has been endless in this area. You can see what looks like roads should be going right through here are nonexistent with the flooding expected to continue. We had damage in clifton, illinois, wind damage. You could see trees on homes and the same type of threat is setting up in areas like illinois and a little further to the south and west through texas. It is the wind an rain thats going to be our biggest concern. You can see right through northern iowa, thats where we have some of our torrential downpours. We have already had so far this month more than a foot of rain. It is filling up the rivers. We do still have your flash flood warnings and watches in effect in this whole area in green. We are going to have to keep close eye on this. That includes iowa, nebraska, through kansas and parts of denver. We will watch this area again this afternoon. Peter. Secretary of state, john kerry, is in cairo, egypt, this morning, there as part of a middle east swing to talk with World Leaders about solutions to the crisis in iraq. Those meetings come as isis militants gain more ground, capturing three towns and a Border Crossing to syria, all of which lay along the highway to baghdad. This is a huge challenge for the obama administration. David gregory is moderator of meet the press. Good morning to you. Good morning. What are the real expectations for secretary kerry as he heads to that region in egypt and what real leverage does the u. S. Have right now given the fact that they have seen very little willingness from Prime Minister maliki in iraq to play ball . The expectations are modest. According to people that im talking to, he actually has pretty good support as he goes around the region and says, look, nuri al maliki, the shiite leader of iraq, needs to go. There needs to be a future beyond maliki if we are going to get some buyin from other folks around the region. Think about iraq and who has not been fighting, sunnis, the kurds. Nobody wants to stand up to isis unless they know there is a better political future for them within iraq. Thats a big part of the calculation, even as kerry and the president have to deal with this growing i isis threat as a Terror Threat to the west. For president obama, for a lot of his critics, he in many ways was propelled by power to his commitment to taking us out of iraq and afghanistan. That serves as a symbol in their eyes as his inadequate and ineffective response in all sorts of crises across the world, ukraine, syria and in iraq. What political risks exist for him . The American Public does not want to get back in iraq but they do understand if america faces a significant threat from terrorist and isis is that, an al qaeda splint ter group that has access to the west and europe and the United States, americans are going to care deeply about. This is not just what the president decides to do in iraq but what he might also do in syria to try to deal with isis. Were going to check back in with you a little bit later for a preview of whats coming up on meet the press. Thanks, peter. There are new developments in the obama administrations plan to deal with the surge of imgrar immigrants coming into this country. Chris still welsh shoining us. Reporter they are expected to fly hundreds of migrants from south texas to california for processing according to the associated press. This move is a part of the governments latest response to the surge of Central Americans entering texas rio grand valley where they have arrested more than 174,000 people since october. Officials tell the a. P. , two flights carrying more than 100 passengers each will head to san diego and el centro, an attempt to ease the workload at that busy texas crossing. The passengers will be mostly families with young children. No unaccompanied minors. Additional flights will return every three days. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will decide whether to keep people in custody or release them while they are in deportation proceedings. Administration officials have consistently said the surge in border cross is is due to an uptick in violence and poverty. They acknowledged rumors reaching Central America that u. S. Border authorities are offering permits to parents traveling here with young children. The administration hopes that by increasing the number of migrants that are detained, they will dissuade others from trying to enter the country illegally. Vice President Biden traveled to guatemala on friday to convey that message. We want to get you caught up with some of the mornings other top story ares. Jenna wolfe here with that. We are going to start with a dramatic rescue in florida. After treading water for 14 hours, a couple was pull today safety on saturday. Three off Duty Officers on a fishing trip said they saw what looked like fish jumping in the water. It was a man and a woman. They said they fell off their boat out in key largo. They appeared to have mild hypothermia and a few jellyfish stings. Amazing we have an update to a story we first told you about on today. Police have arrested the three men that escaped from prison earlier this month by helicopter. They were taken into custody earlier this morning and are scheduled to appear in court on monday. Police implied there may be more arrests in connection with the escape. Pope francis delivered some harsh words to members of the mafia saturday during a visit to italy, a region where mobsteres try to portray themselves as religious men. Duncan goal es stan any has that story. Reporter he visited one of italys biggest crime groups and delivered a strong attack on the mobsters. He called them evil and said that they were excommunicated and cut off from the catholic church. The posts method was welcomed by the huge crowds in an area of drug trafficking. He later went to a local prison and hugged a little boy who was who was captured when family got caught up in drug wars. He said, let me be clear, the problem of drug use is not solved with drugs. Fephelps and franklin are hitting the water today. Michael phelps is coming off in second. Missy franklin won her 200meter freestyle. Phelps and franklin are set to swim the 200 meter individual medley later today. You can call her mrs. Molner. Katie couric and john molner tied the knot in new york. She tweeted, so ex sighted to make my debut as mrs. John molner. They got engaged after nearly two years of dating. This is her second trip down the aisle. Her first husband died of colon cancer in 1998. Nice to see her so happy. Another story thats making news today. Searchers in california are desperately looking for a missing hiker who has not been seen in more than a week. He is also an experienced firefighter. As nbc Miguel Almaguer reports, there is still a lot of hope he could be found alive. Reporter in the dry, hot hills outside los angeles, this morning, a search growing more desperate every hour. It has really been a challenge for our search and rescue teams that have come from all over california to help us. Reporter firefighter, michael heard man was last seen in the los pa dras National Forest nine days ago after a twoday hike with fellow firefighter, taylor buyers. Heardman reportedly chased after his dog, duke, into the hills, barefoot with no supplies and has not been seen since. There is no trail. It is all big boulders going through the brush. It is kind of tricky out there. Reporter with assets and volunteers deployed across the region, a small army is searching around the enclosure can for the missing 36yearold, a young father and husband. Optimistic, because herdman is an experienced is outdoorsman. They believe his dog, duke, was also spotted recently, another reason for hope. We fully expect mike to be found. We have never stopped believing and we are not going to stop believing until we get some type of resolution. Reporter with temperatures hovering in the mid80s and with little food or water, surviving in these rugged mountains for more than a week wouldnt be easy. We had one member today that was bitten by a rattlesnake and he is in icu at the hospital and will be there for a few days. We had another member yesterday that injured his legs. These are tough conditions. Reporter this morning, there is still hope, though it is now slowly fading. For today, Miguel Almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. I certainly hope he is found too. Dylan is back with a look at the rest of our national forecast. Good morning. Widespread showers and storms across most of the country, specially right through the center with our strongest storms from texas up into iowa again. The same area under the gun for almost the last week. We are looking at really nice conditions in the northeast. 70s and 80s, low humidity. About as good as it gets. The southwest, up and were seeing 40s and 50s outside this morning, heading into the afternoon we should see highs in 70s near san jose. Temperatures in the 60s this afternoon with sea breeze keeping things cool. Santa rosa near 82. Livermore, 83 today. For the first half of the week the temperatures climb up a few degrees. Notice what happens as you approach thursday. More clouds coming in. A chance of light showers especially in the north bay. And temperatures rebound as we heads towards next weekend. Thats your latest forecast. Erica. Just ahead, ask and ye shall receive. The very sweet story of a girl who asked her dads boss, almost begged him, for her dad to just have the day off for a very special occasion. Well tell you how it turned out right after this. Very special [ male announcer ] if your kitchen could study you, what would it learn . What improvements would it make . At ge, youve inspired us to reimagine the kitchen. With innovations like the first dishwasher featuring 102 spray jets. The kitchen is now thinking more like you. And. Stop. No . Nothing . [ male announcer ] ge. Reimagining home. Turn to roc® retinol correxion®. One week, fine lines appear to fade. One month, deep wrinkles look smoother. After one year, skin looks ageless. High performance skincare™ only from roc®. After one year, skin looks ageless. Some comto make theirtificial yogurt sweeter. But here at chobani, we think Mother Nature is sweet enough. Introducing chobani simply 100. Back now on a sunday morning with what could put you in a great mood on a sunday morning. So will the next story. One of the most creative ways i have ever seen someone get a week of vacation. Definitely high on the scale. This was a plea from an unlikely source. Jenna is helping explain. A little girl wrote a note to her dads boss to make sure he gets time off. Shes specific. She suggests a wednesday would be nice. He really only gets off work on saturday, so that would be nice. His birthday is coming up, its summer, you know . Guess what happens . Dont, im going to tell you. Her dads boss wrote back and said on the occasion of his birthday and taking wednesdays off during the summer, we are giving him the first week of july as vacation time. Nice work, katy. If your child wrote in, what would they ask for . We want you to let us know using orangeroom. An extra gym or extra gym time. They are things im throwing out. Harper cant write yet. This is something she should do. She sent this in this morning. Its a scribble for mommy. Awww. Shes so creative. Shes brilliant. She is brilliant. The best is summer, you know. Obviously. All right, jenna, thanks. Still to come on a sunday edition of today. Peter, its you, come on. Goooaaall peter, its you, come on. Goooaaall i have been practicing that as a mother of two, its really hard to work at home. Peter, its you, come on. Gwhen i really need i hato get stuff done, that i hide in the laundry room. No one ever goes in there. A lawyer thats a monkey . Hahahaha. Also, the dryer sheets reeeally help my writing. Writing supplies. Oh. Number 7 of my 20. The new amex everyday credit card with no annual fee. Thank you. Make 20 or more purchases in a Monthly Billing period, and earn 20 more rewards. Its membership that rewards you for the things you already buy, everyday. Whats your 20 . Check. This. Out. Oh my goodness. Do you know what that adds up to . A clean bum. This is going very well so far. [ cherry ] feel a clean so fresh it can only be cottonelle. Still welcome back. Hey really . Kiss your abs goodbye. Cardiologist to check stand 1. Crystal geyser Alpine Spring water . Touce. Crystal geyser. Always bottled right at the mountain source. It is 6 26 on your sunday morning. A live look at the Golden Gate Bridge on a day that looks like it could be rainy. Thank you for joining us. Before sports, lets get a look at your weather with rob mayeda. We have misty skies and sunshine throughout the rest of the bay area. Sunshine in san jose, 5