CHICAGO – More than 60,000 packed fans filled Soldier Field on Saturday, packing the stands for the United States men’s national soccer team’s final competitive tune-up ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. What they witnessed was a tightly contested 2-1 defeat to fourth-ranked Germany, marked by an early defensive collapse, a stunning individual highlight, and enough encouraging signs to leave the American camp optimistic ahead of their tournament opener against Paraguay this coming Friday.
The match turned sour for the U.S. before many fans had even taken their seats. Just 43 seconds after kickoff, defensive midfielder Tyler Adams was called for a foul on Germany’s Felix Nmecha inside the attacking third. On the ensuing set piece, German center back Nico Schlotterbeck slipped past American veteran center back Tim Ream, leaving Kai Havertz completely unmarked at the top of the six-yard box. Havertz easily nodded home the opening header in the 2nd minute, putting the U.S. in an immediate hole.
Mauricio Pochettino, who took over as USMNT head coach in October 2024, fielded a starting lineup expected to mirror his preferred starting group for the World Cup. Missing was starting center back Chris Richards, who has been sidelined since mid-May after tearing two ligaments in his left ankle; his replacement in the starting lineup, Miles Robinson, was at fault for Germany’s second match-sealing goal in the 57th minute. When Havertz slid a short pass to Leroy Sané, Robinson was slow to step up with the defensive line, leaving Sané one-on-one with U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese. The German winger calmly slotted the ball into the far corner to double his side’s lead.
Before that second goal, though, left back Antonee Robinson delivered one of the most memorable goals in recent USMNT history to pull the Americans back level in the 37th minute. On a Christian Pulisic corner kick, German defender Jonathan Tah’s attempted clearance bounced just outside the 18-yard box, right into the path of the onrushing Robinson. The 28-year-old Fulham defender, who goes by the childhood nickname “Jedi”, struck a perfect first-time left-footed volley that rocketed past German goalkeeper Oliver Baumann into the far corner of the net. The sellout crowd erupted as Robinson celebrated with a cartwheel followed by a backflip, notching his fifth career international goal.
Speaking after the match, Pulisic – who led the American attacking push alongside starting center forward Folarin Balogun – called the strike “sick”, echoing the reaction of fans and teammates alike. Antonee Robinson noted that the goal carried extra weight heading into the World Cup, comparing the stunning volley at Soldier Field to Benny Feilhaber’s iconic tiebreaking goal for the U.S. against Mexico in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, also played at the Chicago venue. “I’ve never scored a goal like that in a competitive game before,” Robinson said. “Going into a World Cup it means a lot to have that kind of in my mind that I’ve scored something like that and a bit of freedom to shoot again if I’m in that position.”
The result extended a disappointing streak for the USMNT: it marked the team’s ninth consecutive loss to European opponents dating back to 2022. But beyond the final score, the Americans turned in a performance that has injected confidence into the squad ahead of the tournament. Pochettino’s side controlled the final 20 minutes of the first half, outearned Germany by a 10-2 margin in corner kicks, and created multiple high-quality scoring chances that they were unable to convert. After conceding the early opening goal, the team did not fold, a fact that multiple players highlighted post-match.
“Disappointed that we lost, but many positives to take,” Antonee Robinson said. “I feel like conceding that early, we could have easily crumbled, and it could have been a very, very bad day to be going into the tournament with. But we fought back and at times played some really good football and looked good, looked competitive.”
Pulisic echoed that sentiment, adding: “I mean against a really good team, I thought we were dangerous at times. We had good stretches of possession, defended well for good portions of it. And, yeah, I mean honestly, I think, we’re feeling good.”
Pochettino, who has posted a 14-10-2 record since taking the U.S. job, called the match an even contest, saying he was pleased with his side’s commitment and competitive intensity. The Argentine head coach will now turn his attention to cleaning up the costly defensive mistakes that led to Germany’s two goals, and settling on a replacement for Richards at center back for the opener: options include Mark McKenzie and Auston Trusty, who are both in the U.S. World Cup squad.
Before kickoff, the U.S. Soccer Federation honored the 1994 U.S. men’s World Cup team on the field, marking the 32nd anniversary of the country hosting the historic tournament that grew soccer’s profile across the nation.
