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Ryan S. Clark
Multiple Authors
For a moment, it looked like the United States men’s national team was potentially heading toward a draw with Germany. Then came Leroy Sané.
The experienced Galatasaray winger finally found the time and space needed to score the eventual game-winning goal that sent the U.S. to a 2-1 loss Saturday to Germany at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Here’s a look at how everyone performed and what it all meant in their final dress rehearsal before opening the World Cup next Friday against Paraguay.
Manager rating out of 10
Mauricio Pochettino, 7 — He fielded a team that looks like it’ll be the starting XI against Paraguay, with the caveat being center back Chris Richards’ injury status. The U.S. overcame the early goal by having a structure that grew more confident after fending off the German attack as it only allowed one shot on goal with some of those sequences turning into counters until Sané’s go-ahead goal only to see the U.S. struggle to find an answer.
Player ratings (0-10; 10 = best; 5 = average)
GK Matt Freese, 3 — Questions can be raised about his positioning on Kai Havertz’s goal that gave Germany a 1-0 lead. He looked patient against a few long-range shots until Sané’s game-winning strike before the hour mark beat him to give the Germans a one-goal edge.
RB Alex Freeman, 4 — It was something of a mixed performance; Freeman had moments when he was caught out by Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz before finding more involvement in defense as well as attack.
CB Miles Robinson, 3 — Robinson’s first blemish came when he was beaten by Havertz on the header on Germany’s first goal. There were moments he found comfort, but then he was exposed on Sané’s goal.
CB Tim Ream, 5 — Ream provided more consistency against Germany than he did against Senegal a week earlier. He was important when it came to breaking up attacks or would-be attacks into the box. The U.S. captain’s one poor moment came when he was caught in an awkward space on Sané’s goal.
LB Antonee Robinson, 7 — He went from the Jedi tricks working Saturday on that volley from outside the box before sustaining a cramp that initially looked like the injury that Pochettino wasn’t looking for. He gingerly came off a little beyond the hour mark. Robinson had his moments when Sané’s pace was an issue but was still vital up and down the left side.
CM Weston McKennie, 5 — The Juventus midfielder had his moments, like Adams, when those 50-50 balls were an issue. But McKennie would find his place in the game by playing the sort of balls that facilitate the attack while gradually providing a physical presence.
CM Tyler Adams, 5 — Adams had a few nervy moments to start. Then he flipped the switch, making tackles the U.S. turned into counters while actively working to either regain possession or facilitate the ball at all costs.
AM Sergiño Dest, 4 — Yes, there’s a theme with how a few players struggled early on. Dest was one of them, as he was on the end of some would-be chances that didn’t quite work out largely due to his positioning and timing.
AM Malik Tillman, 4 — His performance was one part subtlety and another part quiet. He wasn’t on the ball a lot but had those quick exchanges that helped facilitate the Americans finding space when they could.
AM Christian Pulisic, 7– Pulisic was once again an ever-present threat. His ball into the box to Dest could have tied the game early. There were the darting runs down the middle, along with how he became even more problematic once he drifted to the right just to give Germany something else to consider.
ST Folarin Balogun, 6 — Monaco’s striker had a complex game. On one hand, he was one of the hardest-working players on either side Saturday. He effortlessly shifted to the left wing whenever an attack went down the middle to provide another dimension while also working to get chances when he could. On the other hand? It felt like he never really had the potential scoring chances like others did.
Substitutes (players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
RB Joe Scally (on for Freeman, 72nd minute) — Had a strong shot that earned a corner.
CB Mark McKenzie (on for A. Robinson, 61st minute), 5 — Worked in tandem alongside Trusty to keep it a one-goal game.
CB Auston Trusty (on for M. Robinson, 61st minute), 5 — Helped the U.S. maintain structure in its attempt to keep Germany at bay.
LB Max Arfsten (on for Ream, 72nd minute) — Was caught out on the exchange Germany used to set up Nadiem Amiri for a long-distance shot.
CM Sebastian Berhalter (on for McKennie, 61st minute), 4 — Helped the U.S. manage its possession but didn’t quite play the necessary probing balls.
CM Cristian Roldan (in for Adams, 72nd minute) — Similar to Berhalter in that he could get possession and move it, but not in a way that led to a credible threat.
AM Timothy Weah (on for Dest, 72nd minute) — That quick 1-2 followed by the tackle late in the game saw him get a yellow card before showing quite a bit of fight toward the end.
AM Brenden Aaronson (on for Tillman, 72nd minute) — His drifting run from the left to the center of the pitch led to a shot that was the most dangerous effort of the second half.
AM Gio Reyna (on for Pulisic, 61st minute), 4 — Reyna slightly fell prey to what hindered Tillman, in that he’s central in attack but not central to the attack.
ST Ricardo Pepi (on for Balogun, 72nd minute) — His day was made more challenging by the fact the U.S. could never find the end product in the final third.
