CHICAGO – A wonder goal from Antonee Robinson didn’t prevent the U.S. men’s national team from losing 2-1 against Germany in its World Cup send-off match at Soldier Field on Saturday, but it definitely was worth the price of admission for the 63,636 flag-waving fans in attendance.
The home team succumbed early to a Kai Havertz goal two minutes after kickoff, before the Fulham left-back equalized in the 37th minute. Leroy Sané delivered Germany’s game-winner in the 57th minute. Although the result wasn’t what the team or supporters hoped for, it might just have been what was needed less than a week before results really start to count.
“I’m happy with the performance of everyone,” Pochettino said. “I am so happy with the commitment, and how the team was thinking, also that we conceded in the first action, and how the reaction was really positive.”
Havertz’s early goal came off another defensive breakdown similar to the kinds of mistakes that led to Sadio Mané’s brace in last week’s 3-2 win over Senegal. Miles Robinson was caught on the wrong side of the Champions League Final winner, who got his 22nd goal in 58 appearances off an unmarked header from a Joshua Kimmich free kick.
“In that moment I was sad, I was upset, of course,” Pochettino explained. “But I think it was lucky because I think it’s good for us to see the reaction of the team, and it was amazing. Really positive, and that’s why it’s good.”
It took another 10 minutes for the Americans to recover from the setback and start to impose their game, with Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, and Sergiño Dest getting chances to change the scoreline.
“I think we responded well today,” Pulisic said. “We didn’t panic in any way; we feel like we can play up against anyone right now.”
Although the game started swinging in the home side’s favour, the Germans didn’t look bothered. At the time, they were winning 88% of the headers, including the clearance from Jonathan Tah, who headed Pulisic’s corner kick out of the box for Robinson to run onto and volley into the back of the net.
“It’s an amazing feeling scoring for my country like that,” Robinson said. “Going into a World Cup, it means a lot to have in my mind that I’ve scored something like that. Gives me a bit of freedom to shoot again if I’m in that position.”
Even though the score didn’t reflect it, the USA outshot Germany 11-4 at halftime. That stat continued after the break, but had little to do with the outcome, as Jamal Musiala rifled the ball to Havertz in the box, whose pass to Felix Nmecha was intercepted by Sané and slammed home.
After that, both coaches made wholesale changes, with the flow of the game favouring the USMNT substitutes. Under the heat of the afternoon sun and with the lead in hand, the Germans waited for the game to end, allowing the Americans to push forward. Backup goalkeeper Oliver Baumann, who was playing for the recovering Manuel Neuer, pushed Joe Scally’s 81st-minute shot wide, and then parried Brenden Aaronson’s attempt in the 87th minute to secure Germany’s ninth win in a row.
Team USA will be hoping to kick off a streak like that on Friday against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but they can’t afford another slow start like today.
“There are probably some things that we need to tune up a little bit defensively to not get disposed,” Tyler Adams admitted. “But when you play against Germany, where they overload the midfield, it’s always difficult against teams like that.”
The team indeed looks like they can play up against the best in the world, but can they also beat them? The way they look right now doesn’t bode well, due to the ongoing defensive errors and missed scoring opportunities. Pochettino has the next few days to continue working on those issues, which might not seem like much time, but look at how far the team has come in only 18 months under his tutelage.
“At the end of the day, these friendlies mean nothing,” Pulisic said. “We have to go out, and we have to perform when it matters on Friday.”