USMNT seek confidence boost vs. World Cup contenders Germany | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Whatever your views about the US men’s national team and their prospects at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one thing is clear.

The USMNT didn’t take the easy route with their final friendly before this summer's tournament, which they’ll begin June 12 against Paraguay in Southern California.

On Saturday afternoon, the Yanks will face four-time world champions Germany in Chicago for their send-off match at a sold-out Soldier Field (2:30 pm ET | TBS, HBO Max, Peacock, Telemundo, Universo).

"Tomorrow is going to be a great opportunity to challenge and to play, compete against one of the best – not only today, if not in the history of football,” said USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino in his matchday-1 press conference on Friday morning.

“Germany always was there, similar to Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, England, Spain. It is the adrenaline that you want.

“If you were to list the three to five most powerful teams in this World Cup, Germany is certainly one of them,” he added in Spanish. “It’s like a preview of a World Cup final.”

Massive test

It’s just about the most rugged fixture imaginable at this stage, a proving ground against a member of the global soccer elite the USMNT aspire to someday join.

Last weekend’s 3-2 win over Senegal, the de facto champions of Africa, was an encouraging performance against a highly talented adversary. Yet Die Mannschaft (‘The Team’), currently 10th in the FIFA World Rankings and stacked deep with world-class talent at every position, will be “a completely different type of opponent,” Pochettino emphasized.

“A match that is truly exciting to play,” he added. “For us as a coaching staff, it’s the kind of game that really inspires us because we’re facing one of the best national teams in the world, a team with a genuine chance to contend for the championship title.

"That’s based not only on their style of play and collective strength but also on the individual quality of their players; they compete in the world's top leagues. Plus, they have a great coach in Julian [Nagelsmann], whom I know well.

“I believe Germany is a serious contender to win the World Cup, so this is an incredible source of motivation.”

Richards update

Friday’s biggest news item: Official confirmation from ‘Poch’ that center back Chris Richards remains unavailable as he continues to rehab an ankle injury sustained in the latter stages of his club season with Crystal Palace.

If Saturday's friendly was the World Cup final, the coach noted, Richards might be ruled fit enough to play. But in the meantime, the medical staff has recommended caution.

“We thought he might be available against Senegal, but the timelines kept dragging out. It’s frustrating. I’m not happy about it because we know Chris is a key player; everyone knows that,” said Pochettino in Spanish, lamenting “a lack of clarity” in the information provided to his staff by their Crystal Palace counterparts.

“We kept hoping Chris would be ready, but as you say, we end up with a player who hasn't been competing, and then we have to decide if he’s fit enough to play – and there isn't much time during the World Cup.”

The Argentine coach seemed to hint that some of his decisions about the World Cup roster might have changed had he known more about the extent of Richards’ injury. Or is this a case of a manager throwing up a smokescreen to complicate the scouting efforts of the Yanks’ Group D rivals? Gamesmanship tactics are often amplified as a major tournament looms.

Final preparations

Pochettino was equal parts cagey and philosophical when musing about the priority of giving his first-choice XI some minutes together vs. the risk of key contributors picking up injuries on the eve of the World Cup.

“If you don't play with the players that you believe need to start, they say, 'maybe we don't arrive in good condition.' If you play and something happens, 'oh, why you take a risk?'” he said. “Always the haters today in social media that would never agree.

“Look, that is impossible to know. What we need to do – that was from the beginning – is to prepare in the best way. Prepare in the best way that all the players have the possibility to play or to compete.”

World-class opponent

Germany arrive in the Windy City on an eight-game winning streak. Liverpool star Florian Wirtz and four other members of Nagelsmann's squad featured in The Guardian's most recent '100 best male footballers in the world' list. And they’ll be just as eager as the USMNT for a positive outing before they open their own World Cup campaign against Group E adversaries Curaçao in Houston on June 14.

It’s a doozy of a measuring stick, and one the Yanks are eager for.

“It was great for them to get these games for us,” said US attacker and Philadelphia Union product Brenden Aaronson earlier this week.

“Because listen, when you can play two of the best teams in the world, it's a huge boost of confidence when you can beat one and then compete against them, always. So that’s what we’re going to try to do against Germany.”