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Klinsmann Revels In U.S. Advance To Last 16

Klinsmann Revels In U.S. Advance To Last 16

Recife (Brazil) (AFP) – United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann saluted his team’s advance to the World Cup second round after a 1-0 defeat to Germany saw the Americans into the last 16 here Thursday.

The Americans were written off as contenders to qualify from Group G, which also contained Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and African giants Ghana.

But a win over Ghana and a draw with Portugal meant they defied the odds to reach the next round on goal difference.

“It’s huge getting out of this group,” said Klinsmann.

“Everybody said ‘You have no chance’ but we took our chance and now we move on and we really want to prove a point.”

The former Germany coach praised the contribution of goalkeeper Tim Howard, a towering presence at the back for most of the game who was beaten only by a superb Thomas Mueller long-range strike.

“Tim is one of our big shots. He’s our leader, he keeps everyone together and obviously we need him right now,” Klinsmann said of the Everton stopper.

“In a World Cup if you want to go far you need one of the best goalkeepers in the world — and we have one.”

Germany will now play the winner of Group H in the last 16, expected to be Belgium, in Salvador next Tuesday.

But Klinsmann said he believed his team could raise their game again.

“We can still do better. We got through the group but we can do better in the round of 16 and we will do better,” he said.

Goalkeeper Howard meanwhile tipped Germany to be one of the contenders for the title.

“Hats off to Germany — I think they have an opportunity to win the World Cup, that’s how good I think they are,” Howard said.

AFP Photo / Nelson Almeida

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It’s Germany vs. U.S… In Low-Earth Orbit

It’s Germany vs. U.S… In Low-Earth Orbit

Paris (AFP) — In space, no-one can hear you scream ‘GOOAAALLL!’

But this did not deter German and U.S. astronauts from facing off in a zero-gravity kickabout aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ahead of their countries’ earthly World Cup encounter.

A video released by the European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday shows Alexander Gerst of Germany and NASA’s Reid Wiseman and Steve Swanson showing off crowd-stunning bicycle kicks and saves made easier by the weird, weightless conditions of low orbit.

Not once was there a problem getting the ball to float into the penalty area as the astronauts defied gravity to score while floating head-down.

On the downside, they sometimes found themselves suspended helplessly between floor and ceiling while trying in vain to intercept their opponent.

Gerst was clad in the jersey of die Mannschaft while Wiseman wore a Team USA shirt. A U.S. space robot, Robonaut 2, got into the spirit of things, waving its arms to egg on the game.

A 53-second snippet of the encounter, played just for laughs with a child-sized soft ball, can be seen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq3iZbV9s6Ys.

AFP Photo

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Team USA World Cup Match Scores With American Viewers

Team USA World Cup Match Scores With American Viewers

Washington (AFP) — Sunday’s dramatic World Cup match between the United States and Portugal may have ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw for Team USA, but it was a record-setter on U.S. television.

Cable sports network ESPN said Monday the late-afternoon game pulled an average 18.2 million viewers to become “the most-viewed soccer match in the United States ever” — and the biggest event on ESPN that wasn’t professional or college American football.

The soccer viewing record previously belonged to the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China that kept nearly 18 million Americans glued to their TV sets, ESPN said in a statement.

Locally, ESPN said ratings for Sunday’s game were strongest in Washington, the industrial Ohio city of Columbus, New York, Boston, and the Connecticut cities of Hartford and New Haven.

Team USA’s previous World Cup match against Ghana garnered 11.1 million viewers across the nation. The squad returns to the pitch Thursday to play Germany.

AFP Photo / Scott Olson

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USA’s Altidore Out For Germany Game

USA’s Altidore Out For Germany Game

Sao Paulo (AFP) — USA striker Jozy Altidore will miss this week’s group finale with Germany but remains hopeful of returning from injury to play again in this World Cup, coach Jurgen Klinsmann said Tuesday.

The 24-year-old pulled up painfully during the USA’s win over Ghana on June 16, but Klinsmann said he hoped to have him back should the USA qualify for the knock-out stages.

“Jozy is recovering really well, he’s doing a tremendous job and our medical staff is on top of it. This game comes still too early for him,” Klinsmann told reporters.

“But we’re working on him, we’ll get him back in this tournament as we said. So once this game hopefully is done successfully we’ll have a good chance to have him back in the team.”

Qualification is not assured for the Americans, who are second on goal-difference in Group G behind Germany. Ghana and Portugal are both three points behind meaning a draw in either final group game would see the United States through.

Klinsmann said the rest of his team was fit and recovered from the tough 2-2 draw against Portugal as they prepare to take on Germany on Thursday in Recife.

“Everybody else is on board, is fit, is hungry, is willing to get that last result in order to qualify for the knock-out round,” he said.

AFP Photo / Javier Soriano

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