Birr (Mankato, Minn.) and teammates Bill Todhunter (Menasha, Wis.), Greg Johnson (Appleton, Wis.) and Kevin Birr (St. Peter, Minn.) came into the tournament this week as an underdog but finished with a bronze medal - the first for the U.S. men's program since 1993. The third-place finish earns the U.S. 10 points towards qualifying for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Nations can earn points at the three world championships leading up to the Olympic Games.

"Later this summer we'll be happy with it but right now we're disappointed," Birr said. "I think the Germans' experience helped them out."

The U.S. had a chance to tie the game and send it into an extra end but called off the sweepers too soon with Birr's last takeout leaving him a few inches short of playing in the gold-medal game.

"Both Bill and I called them off and we shouldn't of," Birr admitted. Birr could have chosen a difficult draw to the button. "I think it was a no-brainer. That draw was tough," Birr said of his decision.

Birr's team ended the tournament the way they began - with two losses in a row. The Germans, meanwhile, are riding a four-game win streak that began yesterday after winning both tiebreaker games and the Page Playoff 3-4 game. "It is 10 years after we went to the final," Kapp said. "It's really good for us. We are really looking forward to it. It was a really great team effort."

Germany will battle Canada's Glenn Howard team for the gold medal at 11:30 a.m. local time tomorrow. "Glenn Howard's team... they're the perfect team. They seem to be unbeatable but they first have to beat us and right now we are on a really good road," Kapp said.

The game started a little shaky again for the U.S. much like it had in the previous three games. Germany caught a break in the when Andy Kapp partially buried a stone behind the center guard and Birr wrecked on the guard trying to chip it out. After Germany drew another stone down to his shot rock, Birr couldn't get both out on his double attempt giving up a steal of one.

The Americans were forced to draw for one in the third and gave Germany an opportunity for the deuce in the fourth end. After playing a freeze game behind a corner guard for most of the end the U.S. got shot rock when Uli Kapp couldn't make a double takeout. Birr drew down too deep to the nest of rocks in the back of the house giving Germany the set-up for the deuce.

Uli Kapp jammed a U.S. stone trying to remove it in the fifth end giving the U.S. a chance to set up the deuce but his brother made up for it with a clutch double takeout that looked risky to force Birr to make a hit for one.

The U.S. had control of the sixth end until Birr came down heavy with his first throw trying to freeze to the German stone in second position to lie two. Birr made up for it, however, with a perfect freeze with his second stone to force Germany to draw the button for one. The U.S. tied the game up in the seventh end when Birr made a clutch draw for two. The Americans controlled the eighth end as well eventually forcing Kapp to draw the button for a single.

After deliberately blanking the ninth end, the Americans went for the win but came up short when Kapp made an angle raise off his stone in the top 12 to remove the American shot rock forcing Birr to try to force the extra end.

"It was a great learning experience," Birr said of his first world championship experience. "We've seen things that we need to improve on but it was great being here."

Semifinal line score:

*USA 001 010 200 0 4
GER 100 201 010 1 6
*designates last-rock advantage in first end

USA Curling is sponsored by AIT Worldwide Logistics, AmerAust Technologies and Nike as well as by AT&T, General Motors, The Home Depot, and Bank of America through a joint marketing program with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

For more information: Terry Luder, USA Curling, terry.luder@usacurl.org, 608-338-9900 (cell).