USMNT left-back Antonee Robinson celebrates his goal after scoring a screamer to equalize vs. Germany.
PC: LMD Media Group
In the team’s last official test before their 2026 FIFA World Cup opening match, the U.S. men’s national team fell short of a perfect send-off after a 2-1 loss against a strong Germany squad at Soldier Field.
The U.S. played in front of a sold-out Soldier Field crowd that was made up of 63,636 fans, the highest recorded attendance for a Men’s National Team match in the venue. The send-off match was the USMNT’s first meeting against Germany since 2023.
The highly anticipated match against the 10th-ranked team in the world started off as a complete nightmare after the host gave up a set piece goal after only two minutes of open play.
"In that moment, I was sad, I was upset," USMNT Head Coach Maurico Pochettino said. "I think [the situation] was lucky because I think it's good for us to see the reaction of the team. The reaction was amazing [and] was very positive. We can deal with this type of situation."
A poor challenge by USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams led to the team conceding a free kick opportunity nearly 25 yards out early in the match. The Germans capitalized after Joshua Kimmich served a ball in front of goal into the head of an unmarked Kai Havertz for the score.
Adams tallied his 54th cap with the USMNT and will be a key leader for the team as a returning veteran member of the 2022 World Cup. The Bournemouth midfielder believes the team's effort to rally back into the game after an early error against Germany puts them in a good position mentally.
"The response, the character, the resilience, all those [are] kinds of things that you want to see," Adams said. "To see that mentality, I think from everyone, not just the guys that started, everyone that came off the bench as well, that's really what you need. That Germany team is unbelievable, and a lot of those guys have been together for a really long time, and they play club football together. With us, we are really starting to hit our stride and I'm confident with the team that we are playing with right now."
The Arsenal forward was left unmarked after USMNT Miles Robinson lost track of Havertz on the run while the ball was traveling into a dangerous area.
Considering the early setback from the U.S., it is anticipated that USMNT defender Chris Richards will take the starting role back from Robinson once he’s recovered from this ankle injury that he picked up with Crystal Place back in May.
After Pochettino opened the match with a lineup that could very much be the finalized starting-11 for the U.S., the consistent pattern of mistakes from Robinson these past international friendlies will not be a concern with the return of Richards in the back line.
Havertz’s goal left U.S. fans stunned, nearly silencing all of the chants and causing red and white flags to slowly disappear across the stadium. Minutes later, Havertz nearly doubled Germany’s lead, but the close opportunity was ruled offside.
The conceded goal quickly made the match a mental exercise for the U.S., testing the team’s ability to respond to adversity while going against arguably one of the biggest contenders for this upcoming World Cup.
The Americans responded well after the hydration break, starting to play out from the back successfully and put pressure on Germany’s defensive unit.
USMNT’s star player Christian Pulisic appeared to be in his best form in a long time by creating chances every opportunity the Germans gave him. The AC Milan forward was no doubt the most comfortable player on the field.
For the Americans, many members of the team appeared to be overwhelmed by the German’s pressure while in possession or caught ball watching in moments.
The World Cup form of Pulisic could not have arrived at a better time with only six days left before the team’s World Cup opening match against Paraguay in SoFi Stadium. The Pennsylvania native scored last week during the team’s previous international friendly against Senegal that ended his five-month scoring drought.
Despite finishing the game without a goal contribution, Pulisic kept Germany’s backline on its heels, playing forward every time he had possession. The Americans looked their best when he controlled the counter attacks and found pockets of space in the midfield.
"Overall, I think we did a lot of great things," Pulisic said. We have a lot of talent on this team, a lot of guys that can create and score goals. We have to be ready to compete with some of the best. We've had good performances, but we still want to win these games and fix the small things."
In the 36th minute, the Americans erased their early mistake after USMNT left-back Antonee Robinson rocketed a shot from the top of the box to equalize with a goal.
"I thought, commit to it, hit it as hard as you can trying to hit the target," Robinson said. "It's an amazing feeling. Just scoring in general and playing for my country. In the past, everyone [has] seen how happy it makes me, the celebrations, and really enjoy myself when I do it. Going into a World Cup, [the goal] means a lot to have that in my mind [that] I scored something like that and a bit of freedom to shoot again from that position."
The Fulham left-back scored his fifth international goal after perfectly timing a volley that came from a deflected corner kick attempt from Pulisic. The equalizer served as his first goal with the national team since November 2023. The superb goal will be a much-needed confidence booster for Robinson, serving as the perfect way to finalize his preparation before the World Cup.
After going into halftime equalized, the U.S. nearly doubled its lead off a counterattack after two close-ranged shots from Pulisic were saved by German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann in the 48th minute.
The golden opportunity faded away quickly after USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman skied his shot attempt following Pulisic’s efforts.
The Germans took back the lead in the 57th minute after Havertz snuck a pass to Leroy Sane in the box, setting up a shot that beat USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese to the far post. The goal occurred after the U.S. struggled to keep up with Germany’s short pass sequences in front of goal.
In the 61st minute, Pochettino decided to rest his starters and subbed on potential reserves for the U.S. before heading to World Cup competition.
In a scary moment for the U.S., Robinson exited the field as he was subbed in with signs of discomfort and the medical team immediately showing attention towards him once he reached the bench. Pochettino hinted post-game that the medical team believes Robinson had just experienced a bad case of cramps.
The rest of the match gave players such as Sebastian Berhalter, Gio Reyna, and Brenden Aaronson time on the pitch to sharpen their iron one final time before heading to the biggest stage for the sport.
The handful of changes made caused the intensity to die down, slowing down the host’s offensive production.
Two notable chances for the U.S. came after all the substitutions from a shot from USMNT defender Joe Scally that traveled too wide and a shot from Aaronson that forced Baumann to make a save that secured a 2-1 win for the visitors.
The USMNT’s 2-1 loss in Chicago extended their losing streak against European opponents to nine consecutive games. Germany has now won nine consecutive games heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup and look to add another star to their badge.
With no more preparation left for the co-host team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. will look to represent the new era of soccer in America against Paraguay with the expectations of making it out of Group D.
