USA shows fight and hunger, but loses final World Cup warm-up match 2-1 to Germany | 2026 World Cup

Ready or not, here comes the group stage.

The U.S. men concluded their pre-World Cup preparations with a 2-1 loss to Germany on Saturday at Soldier Field in front of a sold-out crowd of 63,636. Fans descended on the historic venue on a Chicago summer afternoon, alternating between palpable heat and occasional pouring rain.

Antonee Robinson scored the only goal for the United States on a lightning volley, with German goals on either side.

Much of this cycle has been complicated for the United States, but Saturday’s performance validated this group’s preparation with less than a week until Group D kicks off.

Questions remain over how to provide adequate service to the agile Balogun, who managed just 20 touches in 72 minutes while being marked from close range 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 willingness to shut down the United States before they could gain momentum.

Even after conceding, the United States rarely seemed to stop and make cumulative errors, which in itself was an improvement 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 a curling indirect free kick. Clever screening separated Kai Havertz from his mark (Tim Ream) while Miles Robinson lingered a step behind the Arsenal midfielder. Havertz comfortably pushed a clear header to within eight yards of Matt Freese, doubling a dampening effect on the home fans which coincided with a brief spell of rain.

The clouds cleared around the 12th minute, opening the United States’ first strong run after Havertz’s opener. Pochettino’s team operated with a fluid structure; Dest made another proactive take on his wing-back role, with Alex Freeman often operating more as a right-back than as a member of a centre-back trio. The United States maintained possession competently for long stretches and showed their determination to recover quickly whenever Germany forced a loose ball. However, a long-range shot from Dest flew over the bar, while subsequent attempts were blocked and hopeful crosses were pushed away before finding their target.

The 23rd minute cooling break halted the momentum. The game struggled to regain its verve, with ambitious passes going unconverted and fouls being exchanged by both teams.

Finally, Antonee Robinson delighted the host’s fans. Robinson lingered just outside the box as a corner found its way in after an early header. The Fulham defender punched 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 a lot of physicality. Tim Ream was shot near the neck at one point, while Pulisic was briefly on the ground holding his back after a tackle from behind by Leroy Sané. Chilean official Piero Mazo – who is not a World Cup referee – let both teams enter the game without much of a whistle, frustrating the home fans as Germany went into half-time without a yellow card. Overall, the way the United States has responded to an early deficit has been very encouraging.

Both teams kept all eleven starters on the field to open the second half, with Germany’s defensive structure making it difficult for the United States to further threaten Baumann.

The task became more difficult after Germany took the lead. A quick pass from Jamal Musiala found Sané in the channel, half a step ahead of a trailing Tyler Adams. Sané placed his shot at the far post beyond a diving Freese before Miles Robinson was able to converge, restoring Germany’s one-goal advantage in the 57th minute.

The substitutions began on the hour mark, weakening the cohesion of the United States’ high pressing and leading to confused off-ball movements in possession. Freese was the only starter to play the full 90 minutes, appearing to allay questions over who will start in goal at 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 put to the test in the final quarter of an hour without conceding a goal, while Sebastian Berhalter impressed with his movement on the pitch, the cleanliness of his ball and his occasional flashes of technical prowess around the box. Even in the final half hour of a 2-1 loss, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder made a strong case to start against Paraguay.

The American bench largely cleared in favor of Weah’s defense after the Marseille winger launched a sliding challenge on David Raum, which Nico Schlotterbeck and Tah took umbrage at as they attempted to tackle Weah. The crowd certainly appreciated the tackle, which Weah won, cheering loudly and chanting “USA” as Mazo tried to take over the play.

In a sense, this eagerness to defend Weah was as encouraging a revelation as anything that fell short of Robinson’s goal. Despite all the tumult that has characterized this cycle, the United States enters the World Cup in its most coherent form, adhering to Pochettino’s approach with just one player (Richards) in medical limbo.

Few could accuse the tournament co-organizers of embarrassing themselves against two teams hoping to reach the quarterfinals or beyond. All that remains is the big occasion.

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