Germans Get a Wake-Up Call from Klinsmann's Crew

Eyebrows were raised along with college funds for bookmakers' kids.

That's what happens when a bubbling-under-the-lid side like the USA surprises a reigning World Cup champion.

The Americans wandered into Cologne on Wed 11 Jun and replaced German thunder with sturm und drang in a 2-1 upset.

Jürgen Klinsmann has the USA on a roll these days. First, they shocked arguably the best team in the 2014 World Cup -- that Clockwork Orange crowd from The Netherlands -- and now the World Champions Germany. It's a remarkable achievement for a country where football has a rather quaint meaning to most of its sporting public.

It was World Cup hero Mario Götze who gave Germany the early lead.

It appears Götze used his smallness against the huge American defenders to camouflage himself.

The USA then took out its favorite weapon -- good ol' Route One -- and fired home an equalizer:

The comeback was on.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, still one of the game's best defensive midfielders, seemed to be missing in action and ultimately was.

And yes, there's the fact that Joachim Löw held out the likes of Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer, but this is Die Mannschaft, for goodness sakes!

The winner for the Americans was truly worthy of being the goal that defeated the World Champions:

The Argentines must be banging their heads against the wall for not having thought such a tactic in the World Cup finals.