The Selection Puzzle
The U.S. men's national team gets a proper test Saturday in Chicago, a friendly against Germany that serves as the last tune-up for both sides before the World Cup kicks off. The Germans warmed up with a 4-0 win over Finland in Mainz last weekend. The Americans beat Senegal in their opener. Both managers will shuffle rosters heavily—Julian Nagelsmann used only 15 players in that Finland match, and Mauricio Pochettino essentially rotated his entire starting XI at halftime against Senegal.
The timing matters. This is the final chance to work out kinks against a legitimate opponent, not a tune-up opponent who'll roll over. Germany carries the weight of the four-time World Cup winners label; the U.S. carries a winless streak against European competition that dates back to 2021. That's the kind of mismatch that makes predictions feel academic.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
The Fitness Questions
The USMNT lineup will see changes from the Senegal game. Folarin Balogun and Weston McKennie, who came on at halftime, should start. Chris Richards is out with an ankle ligament injury but expected back for the World Cup opener. Brenden Aaronson, Matt Freese and Haji Wright will likely get minutes off the bench.
The Germany lineup will also rotate. Kai Havertz won't feature after his Arsenal season just ended. Serge Gnabry is injured. Manuel Neuer is nursing a calf issue but came out of retirement for this tournament. Stuttgart's Deniz Undav scored twice against Finland and should start. Antonio Rüdiger, Leon Goretzka and David Raum are among those likely to begin.
The Warm-Up Before It Counts
Prediction: USMNT 2-2 Germany. Both teams have too much attacking quality to keep each other quiet, and neither manager will prioritize a shutout over giving roster players meaningful minutes.
Game details: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois. Saturday, June 6. Kick-off at 2:30 p.m. ET (11:30 a.m. PT). Available on Telemundo, Peacock, TNT USA and HBO Max.