Speculation leading up to the match centered on the possibility that old friends Jurgen Klinsmann and Joachim Low would order their charges to play to a gentleman's draw. However, it turned out both coaches were telling the truth when they said their sides would play for the win, with the Germans claiming victory over the Red, White, and Blue 1:0.

The result left the Yanks vulnerable to a lopsided victory for either side in the Portugal-Ghana matchup, but a late Cristiano Ronaldo winner for Portugal wasn't enough to overcome the Iberians' massive goal deficit to the Americans. The USA's opponent is likely to be Belgium in the round of 16, pending the results from the final Group H matches this afternoon.

Unlike the side that tormented Portugal just a few days prior, the Americans rarely looked threatening throughout the first half. Their erstwhile attacking edge seemed to have been dulled by a combination of the physical punishment the players suffered in the Amazon on Sunday and the driving rain in Recife that limited precision for both sides on the day.

The defensive stance the Yanks assumed and sloppiness in possession throughout (at one point, the numbers were 61-39 in favor of the Germans) meant the Americans were unlikely to hold up to the vaunted German attack, and ten minutes in to the second half Thomas Muller scored the game's only goal. The play started when Metro hero Tim Howard made a brilliant diving save to keep Per Mertesacker's header out of the net. Howard parried the ball toward the edge of the box, but it fell to Muller, who curled an expert shot inside the far post just inches past the North Brunswick native's outstretched mitt.

Klinsmann attempted to catch lightning in the bottle by going to the bench again in the second half, but he did not prove to have the same Midas touch in this match that he had shown in the prior two. Other than a flurry of late activity that ended with Clint Dempsey heading just over the near post, the Americans showed little danger to Manuel Neuer's goal.

And so, much like they did in 2002, the USA has backed into the round of 16, this time thanks to the efforts of a certain (homebound!) shameless Portuguese diver. This is no complaint; this American side has done well enough in the tournament so far to deserve to move on to the next stage. A tall task lies ahead, however, with the Belgians likely to be heavy favorites in Salvador on Tuesday.