Soldier Field was the stage for the final pre-World Cup warm-up for the United States and Germany, and by all accounts, everyone involved will be leaving Chicago happy. While Germany emerged 2-1 winners after a second half Leroy Sané winner, the U.S. had their best performance in years against a top European side and fought back well after going behind in the 2nd minute.
Julian Nagelsmann saw his team extend their excellent winning run to nine matches, rolling into top form for their World Cup kickoff next week against Curaçao. Speaking postgame, the 38-year-old manager expressed his pleasure with Chicago as host for such an important friendly match.
“It is a unique chance when you can play against the host in a very big city, the third largest city in the USA,” Nagelsmann told MIR97 Media Saturday night. “It is not a World Cup host city, but it is, in terms of atmosphere, something quite special, and we are very pleased.”
“According to my information, there were some other inquiries to the U.S. Federation for friendly matches today, and they chose us, which is a great honor for us. What they did that was difficult for us, they had a lot of good intensity, it is simply a team with a lot of speed in various positions.”
It was not just the opportunity to play against the tournament host that aided Germany’s preparations for the upcoming World Cup. Nagelsmann praised the U.S. team’s physicality, comparing it with their group stage opponents, including Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador, and cited that the mix of conditions across the 90 minutes (85°F heat, some rain, thick humidity) will help them prepare for a tournament in a North American climate that most of the squad are not at all used to.
Nagelsmann also expressed hope for the USMNT, keeping in the spirit of what largely (outside of one stoppage-time spat) felt like the definition of a Freundschaftspiel.
“I am keeping my fingers crossed for you,” the Bundestrainer said of the U.S. under Mauricio Pochettino. “You have a good coach, who is a very nice person and a good coach, I’m hoping that it will be a good tournament for you.”
Sweet Home Chicago
USMNT star Christian Pulisic snapped a months-long scoring drought in the 3-2 win over Senegal last week, and though he had a quieter night against Germany, it seems like it’s smooth sailing for “Captain America.” The 27-year-old made his first appearance in Chicago since the 2019 Gold Cup final, and praised the home atmosphere the U.S. fans provided.
“We felt it,” Pulisic said of the fan support. “I helps us so much and we’re so grateful for that, and we hope it continues throughout the tournament. It really drives us, like today, and Chicago is awesome.”
Though he did not feature in the match, Chicago Fire #1 goalkeeper and U.S. third-string Chris Brady had his first taste of national team action at Soldier Field. The Naperville native and Fire academy product made his USMNT debut against Senegal as a halftime substitute, and now is preparing for his first World Cup.
Prior to Saturday’s match, all 26 U.S. players took to the field for the national anthems and were introduced one-by-one as a part of their sendoff for the World Cup. When Brady’s name was called, he received one of the loudest cheers of the list, with only Pulisic clearly getting the most applause.
“It was incredible,” Brady said. “I didn’t really know what to think, that national anthem really had me. It was an incredible feeling, which you guys saw. It was a great atmosphere, I love the way our fans showed out.”
“There were a lot of emotions running through my head, and I’m super proud just to be a part of this.”
