The Pressure Shows Up Early
CHICAGO — Germany left Soldier Field with a 2-1 win and a nine-game win streak, but the real story was who wasn't on the pitch. Lennart Karl, the 18-year-old midfielder who had just become Bayern Munich's youngest Champions League goal-scorer, watched from the sideline with a thigh injury sustained in training a day earlier.
Karl has been ruled out for the World Cup. He posted on Instagram that missing the tournament is "indescribably painful," adding that injuries "often come at the unluckiest time."
Leroy Sané and Kai Havertz scored the goals in Germany's tuneup victory. The 10th-ranked Germans open World Cup play on June 14 against Curaçao, then face Ivory Coast on June 20 and Ecuador on June 25 in Group E.
"Really tough," said Germany defender David Raum, who played alongside Karl at Bayern. "I had a good connection to Lenny. He's a great guy, a very young guy. We lose a good human being and an amazing player."
The Detail That Tilts It
Assan Ouédraogo, a midfielder from Leipzig, has been added to the roster. He has one cap for Germany, scoring in a 6-0 win over Slovakia last November.
"Very happy to welcome him here, and he can help us also a lot," Raum said.
Manuel Neuer, 40, will go into the World Cup having not played for Germany in almost two years. He retired from international duty after the 2024 European Championship but agreed to a recall last month.
That is the kind of injury timeline that turns roster planning into calendar management.