jermaine jones USA
The U.S. and midfielder Jermaine Jones, right, slid into the Round of 16 despite a 1-0 loss to Germany Thursday. Reuters

Germany’s 1-0 defeat of the United States on Thursday, coupled with Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Ghana means the Yanks will move on to the Round of 16 for a record second straight time.

The highly anticipated match against Germany brought out the best and worst in fans on Twitter, with supporters offering praise and intense criticism of U.S. players.

The U.S. received support not only from fans in Brazil and abroad, but also from “Teddy Goalsevelt” himself, comedian/actor/huge sports fan Will Ferrell and former WWE champion Hulk Hogan.

Besides the ramifications and build up to the game, the torrential rain was the story before the U.S. and Germany took the field. Flooding around Recife was so bad, family members of the U.S. players couldn’t make it to the stadium, and the media barely made it.

When the official lineups where announced, with midfielder Brad Davis and defender Omar Gonzalez starting over defender Geoff Cameron and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, fans vented their frustrations but were also supportive of U.S. manager Jurgen Klinnsman’s decision.

One user went so far as to compare the monumental match to the U.S.’s storming of Normandy on D-Day.

As the match began, fans at the venue flooded Twitter with pictures of the soaking wet conditions.

Employees around the U.S. also seemed to care less if their bosses knew they were getting nothing done during the match. But New York governor Andrew Cuomo took pity on his staff.

While not everyone was convinced, Gonzalez would prove doubters early, with several key stops on early German attempts to score.

In the 28th minute, midfielder Jermaine Jones looked like had an excellent scoring opportunity but he ran into the referee.

Eyes also occasionally glanced over to the Ghana-Portugal match, and the U.S. got a huge boost after a Ghana own goal in the 30th minute.

At the half, the U.S. failed to register one shot on goal to three for Germany and Gonzalez and German defender Benedikt Howedes had each picked up yellow cards. The real U.S. star was goalie Tim Howard, who had three saves at the half.

Germany put 15-time World Cup goal scorer Miroslav Klose into the lineup to start the second half, and that had U.S. fans worried.

Instead U.S. fans should have remembered Thomas Muller was on the field as well. His goal in the 55th minute put Germany up 1-0. Ghana also managed a goal in the 57th minute seconds later, and the U.S.’s chances to move on looked in doubt.

Midfielder Michael Bradley, suffering through a third straight poor performance, may have received the most criticism.

But out of nowhere, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo saved the day by scoring in the 80th minute and U.S. fans were quick to thank the player they hated so much after Sunday’s 2-2 draw.

World cup 2014 Germany Portugal Ghana