As expected, ESPN did a big number for yesterday’s U.S.-Portugal game.

The game pulled a 9.1 overnight rating of major markets, the highest overnight for a World Cup games on ESPN. Final overall ratings will be in later.

However, there are questions that the audiences numbers may be under reported. More so than other championship-type telecasts, the World Cup appears to be a communal viewing experience. Yesterday in Chicago, an estimated 20,000 people gathered to watch the game in Grant Park.

The World Cup also has been great for bars, with the beer flowing to handle the large throngs of people gathered there.

The networks complain regularly that the actual ratings for sports are under reported because they don’t take into account people in bars, etc. Certainly seems to be the case for the World Cup.

There’s little question that the World Cup is the story of the day. Build up in full force for Thursday’s game against Germany.

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From ESPN on the overnight rating:

ESPN’s USA vs. Portugal telecast on Sunday, a 2-2 tie at Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, averaged a 9.1 overnight rating, making it the highest overnight rating for a World Cup match on ESPN or ESPN2, according to Nielsen.

In addition, the telecast ranks as the third-highest Men’s World Cup match of any round on any ESPN network – tied for ABC’s USA vs. Ghana round of 16 match in 2010; and behind ABC’s presentations of the 1994 World Cup Final featuring Brazil vs. Italy (12.8 overnight rating), and the 1994 USA-Brazil round of 16 match (10.4 rating)

The top-10 metered markets: Washington, DC (13.3), Columbus, Ohio (12.6), New York (12.5), Boston (11.5), Hartford & New Haven (11.3), Providence (11.2), Atlanta (11.1), Baltimore (11.0), Norfolk (10.5), and Orlando (10.5).

To date, the highest-rated markets on the ESPN Networks are: Washington DC (5.0), New York (4.3), San Francisco (4.1), Orlando (3.8), and Los Angeles (3.7).