US advances to final 16 of World Cup despite rain-soaked loss

Despite suffering a 1–0 loss to Germany on a rain-soaked Thursday, the United States nonetheless emerged from the tournament’s so-called Group of Death to clinch a spot in the elimination round for the second consecutive World Cup.

The U.S. needed a win or tie against Germany, three-time cup champion, in order to guarantee a place among the final 16 teams. Instead, U.S. fans had to wait for Portugal to close out Ghana in the concurrent Group G match by too small a margin to overcome its 0–4 shutout loss to Germany earlier in the tournament.

The U.S., which for much of the match was forced to play nervy defense against the technically gifted and attack-minded Germans, advanced on the goal-differential tie breaker over a disappointed Portuguese side and are now slated to play the winner of Group H — probably Belgium — on July 1 in Salvador. The talented Belgian squad will be heavy favorites.

U.S. coach Jürgen Klinsmann, a former German star and the coach of Germany’s 2006 squad, said his team is not content to advance from the cup's toughest grouping: “Everybody said we had no chance, but we took that chance and now we really want to prove a point.

“It’s a huge, huge step, and now we can’t wait for the round of 16.”

The field was already quite slick in the Brazilian coastal city of Recife when the U.S. and Germany took to the field, after a torrential downpour threatened to strand fans at home. Some residents had been forced to abandon their cars in the streets, with water rising up to the seals.

Even in difficult conditions for the goalkeepers, the sides played to a scoreless half but one that was dominated by a fluid and aggressive Germany throughout. The U.S. side, on 27 fewer hours of rest than their German opponents, were workmanlike and physical but managed to create few opportunities on goal.

In the second half, anxiety permeated the U.S. team and its supporters. After a brilliant bit of U.S. goalkeeping to parry away a great scoring chance, Germany’s most reliable goal-scorer this tournament, Thomas Mueller, cracked a blistering rebound effort past the U.S. keeper Tim Howard's outstretched dive in the 55th minute. The goal jeopardized USA’s chances at qualification if Ghana, which had a stronger goal differential than Portugal, would have been able to pull ahead against Portugal by a sufficient goal margin.

Instead, Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net late in the second half of that match to secure an empty 2–1 win for Portugal (though a draw in that match would have been sufficient for the U.S. as well), which had needed a more convincing total to pass the tie-breaker goal differential threshold.

Meanwhile, the German Mueller outscored Argentine legend Diego Maradona in World Cups with his ninth goal in the same number of games. In a post-match interview with ZDF television, the 24-year-old forward commented wryly: “For once I scored a beautiful goal.”

“We are ready for the knockout stage,” he said. “We keep working hard, and we are full of team spirit.”

Things could have gone worse for the U.S. had it not been for a spate of brilliant sliding saves from veteran Omar Gonzalez, the highest-paid defender in Major League Soccer. Howard was also solid from the beginning.

“The commitment was great. I wish we had more possession and created more chances, but maybe we are saving that for the next one,” Klinsmann said in a post-match interview.

After surprising many with a 2–1 first-round win over Ghana, thanks in part to a first-minute goal by four-time national team striker Clint Dempsey, the U.S. was just seconds away from clinching its spot in the elimination round by the same score against Portugal on Sunday. But Ronaldo delivered the vital assist on an equalizer goal on the last drive of stoppage time, pinning the U.S.'s chances to the final-round games.

There were no such surprises for the U.S. on Thursday, breaking a streak of two games defined by goals at the very beginning and end of matches.

“In the second half we didn’t start particularly well,” U.S. stalwart midfielder Michael Bradley told ESPN in a post-match interview. “When they got a goal we found it hard to step out and put them under much pressure. But by the second half you know what’s going on with the Portugal-Ghana game, and you’re cognizant of the fact that if things stay the same you go through.”

With the U.S. moving on, three teams from North American soccer conference CONCACAF have advanced to the final 16 for the first time in World Cup history.

Until Thursday, the U.S. had never advanced that far in consecutive World Cups.