US shows fight and hunger, but loses 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
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.
