US show fight and hunger, but lose final World Cup prep match 2-1 to Germany

Ready or not, here comes the group stage.

The US men concluded their pre-World Cup preparations with a 2-1 loss against Germany on Saturday at Soldier Field, in front of a lively sellout crowd of 63,636. The fans made their way to the historic venue on a Chicago summer afternoon which alternated palpable heat with occasional drizzling rain.

Antonee Robinson scored the United States’ only goal on a thunderbolt volley, with German goals coming on either side.

Much of this cycle has been messy for the US, but Saturday’s showing validated this group’s readiness less than a week from Group D kicking off.

There are still questions about how to adequately get service to the nimble Balogun, who managed to make just 20 touches in 72 minutes as he was marked closely by the burly Jonathan Tah. Christian Pulisic and Sergiño Dest struggled to make much of an impact from the wing, a testament to Germany’s structure and eagerness to close the US down before they could gain a head of steam.

Even after conceding, the US seldom appeared to switch off and make compounding mistakes, which in itself showed progress from March’s friendlies against Belgium and Portugal.

Germany wasted no time in setting a dominant tone. After Tyler Adams committed a foul near the box, Joshua Kimmich sent in a curling indirect free kick. Some clever screening separated Kai Havertz from his mark (Tim Ream) while Miles Robinson lingered a step behind the Arsenal midfielder. Havertz comfortably prodded an unobstructed header from inside eight yards beyond Matt Freese, doubling a damping effect on the home faithful that coincided with a brief passage of rain.

Clouds parted around the 12th minute, opening the US’s first strong passage of play after Havertz’s’ opener. Pochettino’s side operated with a free-flowing structure; Dest made another proactive interpretation of his wing-back role, with Alex Freeman often operating more as a right-back than part of a center-back trio. The US competently retained possession for extended sequences and showed determination to make quick regains whenever Germany forced a loose ball. However, a long shot from Dest flew over the bar, while subsequent attempts were blocked and hopeful crosses were cleared away before finding their target.

The 23rd minute cooling break halted momentum. The game struggled to regain its verve, with some ambitious passes going unconverted and both teams exchanging chippy fouls.

At last, Antonee Robinson sent the host’s fans into rapture. Robinson lingered just outside the box as a corner kick looped his way after an initial header. The Fulham defender struck the ball before it hit the ground, sending a powerful volley beyond Oliver Baumann for his fifth international goal.

The Germans continued to play with considerable physicality. Tim Ream was brought down near his neck at one stage, while Pulisic was briefly on the ground clutching his back after a tackle from behind by Leroy Sané. Chilean official Piero Mazo – who is not among the referees for the World Cup – let both teams get a shoulder or foot in without many blows of his whistle, frustrating the home fans at time as Germany entered half-time without a yellow card. Overall, there was plenty of encouragement to be found from how the US responded to an early deficit.

Both sides kept all eleven starters on the field to open the second half, with Germany’s defensive structure making it tricky for the US to further threaten Baumann.

The job was made harder after Germany took the lead. A quick through-ball from Jamal Musiala found Sané in the channel, a half-step ahead of a trailing Tyler Adams. Sané placed his shot to the far post beyond a diving Freese before Miles Robinson could converge, restoring Germany’s one-goal advantage in the 57th minute.

The substitutions kicked off at the hour mark, weakening the US’s high-pressing cohesion and leading to some muddled off-ball movement in possession. Freese was the only starter to play the full 90 minutes, seeming to quell questions about who will start in goal for the World Cup after Pochettino split duties between Matt Turner and Chris Brady in the previous warm-up match against Senegal.

As teams continued to change personnel, the game settled into a slower back-and-forth cadence. Both goalkeepers were tested in the final quarter-hour without conceding, while Sebastian Berhalter impressed with his movement across the field, tidiness in possession, and occasional flashes of his technical prowess around the box. Even in the final half-hour of a 2-1 defeat, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder made a strong case to start against Paraguay.

The US bench largely cleared in Weah’s defense after the Marseille winger a sliding challenge on David Raum, which Nico Schlotterbeck and Tah took umbrage with as they tried to confront Weah. The crowd certainly appreciated the tackle, which Weah won, loudly cheering and chanting “U-S-A” as Mazo attempted to resume play.

In a sense, that eagerness to defend Weah was just as encouraging a revelation as anything short of Robinson’s goal. For all the tumult that has typified this cycle, the US nears the World Cup at its most cohesive, bought into Pochettino’s approach with just one player (Richards) in medical limbo.

Few could accuse the tournament co-hosts of embarrassing themselves against a pair of teams that hope to reach the quarter-final or further. All that’s left now is the grand occasion.