MANAUS, Brazil — How can you stop a player who can do it all? How do you deal with someone who can beat you with a leaping header, or blistering shot, or well-placed free kick, or speedy run and expert finish? How do you defend a player who, when on his game, carries the “best player in the world” label on his back like it was made for him?

No, Cristiano Ronaldo won’t be wearing a cape on Sunday when he and Portugal face the U.S. national team. He won’t be stopping runaway trains or putting out fires or rescuing damsels in distress. Ronaldo will be simply wearing a Portugal jersey as he carries the hopes of a country that expects him to work miracles.

How will the United States stop him? The game plan won’t involve kryptonite, but rather organized team defending, effective and sustained possession, and a few Hail Marys. It will require playing better than the Americans played against Ghana, and will demand defensive improvement from U.S. fullbacks Fabian Johnson and DaMarcus Beasley.

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The first step toward stopping Ronaldo is realizing he isn’t alone on the field. He will have a dangerous Portuguese attack around him.

“If you can get caught up, if you pay too much attention to Ronaldo, someone else will beat us,” said U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard. “We’ve go to be diligent and we’ve got to be aware of their danger men. We’ve talked about it. We have a game plan in place and now we just have to go execute it.

“Of course, he’s the main man. He’s probably the main man in this tournament,” Howard added. “We have to know where he is. We have to try to collectively get around and get some help and support each other defensively, but no, he’s certainly not the only one.”

The first step toward containing Ronaldo begins in midfield, and cutting off the supply lines to a player who can punish you in a variety of ways. Pepe’s early red card against Germany forced Portugal to remove midfielder Miguel Veloso at halftime of its opening match, which also limited the support for creative midfielders Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles.

For the Americans, having Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Kyle Beckerman working to neutralize Moutinho and Meireles will be key.

Former U.S. World Cup hero and current Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel has studied Portugal closely as part of his coaching license work, and he sees Portugal’s play on the right flank being key to freeing up Ronaldo for potential one-on-one situations.