The United States entered their final Group G match against Germany knowing that a win or a draw would see them through to the knockout round, and despite taking the loss, results elsewhere were enough to help them advance.
On a wet, humid morning at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, both teams got off to a slow, cagey start. The ball crawled across the wet surface, forcing a slower game that appeared to favor America's style. Germany came out strongly, though, slowing down their rhythm to accommodate the conditions.
The Germans dominated possession for the first ten minutes, coming up with several dangerous chances. The US weathered the storm, although some of the defending looked desperate. A brief spell of possession for the Americans in the 12th minute quickly gave way to more German domination, and for much of the first half, the story remained the same.
Germany struggled to break down a composed, if battered American defense, and although the Germans looked more likely to score, the US never looked truly out of the game.
Smart work by Germany's Mesut Ozil forced American keeper Tim Howard into a point-blank save in the 34th minute, but the shot was parried and cleared away.
By halftime, the Germans had 64% of possession and six shots to America's two, but the game remained scoreless.
Once the second half got underway, it didn't take long for the German onslaught to continue.
Nervous defending kept Germany away until the 54th minute, when a rebound fell to Thomas Muller just outside the box. Muller slammed it home into the far corner of the goal, and Tim Howard - who had been stellar - was unable to keep it out.
Germany continued to press despite their advantage, and despite their superiority, the Americans held firm. The US players got an emotional lift in the 79th minute, when the American fans erupted at the news that Portugal had gone up 2-1 on Ghana. Knowing that a slim Portuguese win would be enough to see the Americans through to the next round, the United States went about their business with a renewed sense of purpose.
In stoppage time, the Americans almost equalized through Clint Dempsey, and ultimately, even though they weren't able to prevent the loss, they still fully deserved progression to the next round.
The US team will take on the winner of Group H (likely Belgium) next week.
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