As the U.S. Men's National Team prepares to take on Portugal for its second group stage game in the 2014 FIFA World Cup on Sunday night, another element of the game is getting a lot of attention.

The Brazuca.

Yes, that's the official match ball of this year's World Cup. It was introduced Sept. 2, 2012, by Adidas — the company that has made every World Cup match ball since 1970. The informal term brazuca is used to describe national pride in the Brazilian way of life.

Like its predecessors, the official match balls are named. They are designed in unique ways. Some have even been the center of controversy, such as the Jabulani, the official match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Players said the ball was unpredictable.

The Brazuca has even gotten the attention of NASA. Engineers used the time leading up to the tournament to test the aerodynamics of the ball's design.

The ball can reach speeds of up to 60 mph (like it nearly did on Lionel Messi's game-winning left-footed strike against Iran on Saturday, which topped out around 58 mph). The shot secured a 1-0 win for Argentina.

It depends on who's striking the ball, of course.

But when the Brazuca isn't getting knocked around on the soccer pitch by the world's best players, it's getting kicked around on social media.

The Brazuca’s Twitter account reached 1.9 million followers over the weekend.

The U.S. takes on Portugal at 6 p.m. Sunday. With a win, the Americans can clinch a spot in the knockout phase of the tournament. The U.S. has reached the Round of 16 in three of the last five World Cups.

The U.S. plays Germany at noon Thursday, June 26, in its final Group G fixture.