FUESSEN, Germany (AP) The United States qualified for the men's curling tournament at the Sochi Olympics with an 8-5 playoff victory over the Czech Republic on Sunday.
The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead.
The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shuster's team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer.
The Americans, coached by Tim Muller with Craig Brown at alternate, had kept their qualification hopes alive with a 7-5 win over South Korea in Saturday's tiebreaker.
"We always seem to pick it up and bring it up the next step and find a way to play better in a game," Landsteiner said.