USMNT falls to Germany, 2-1, in its last game before the World Cup

CHICAGO — The U.S. men’s soccer team gave perennial power Germany a good game on Saturday in both squads’ last contest before the World Cup. But the four-time champions prevailed, 2-1, before a festive crowd of 63,636 that endured an early rainstorm before enjoying the rest of the day in the sunshine.

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Kai Havertz and Leroy Sané scored for Germany, while Antonee Robinson had the U.S. goal with a highlight-reel blast from long range.

U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino started a lineup that looked close to what he could roll out for Friday’s World Cup opener against Paraguay. Miles Robinson at centerback instead of the injured Chris Richards was the lone exception.

But the optimism of the day was squashed when it took just two minutes for Germany to score the opener, and Miles Robinson was right in the middle of it.

Tyler Adams tripped up Felix Nmecha, and Joshua Kimmich served a free kick from the right side. Havertz, who also plays for England’s Arsenal, ran away from the centerback Robinson easily, and the newly crowned English Premier League champion had an easy header past Matt Freese — who barely budged on the goal line.

The U.S. didn’t play badly after that, especially going forward, and a reward came in the 37th minute. Christian Pulisic served a corner kick, Germany’s Jonathan Tah headed it out, and the ball fell to Robinson. He took one swing and belted it in from atop the 18-yard box arc, celebrating with his trademark backflip as the crowd roared.

It brought back memories, too, of perhaps the most famous U.S. goal scored in this stadium: Benny Feilhaber’s winner in the 2007 Gold Cup final. His also was a long-distance hit off a cleared corner, from just a few feet to the right of where “Jedi” Robinson let fly.

After making 10 subs at halftime vs. Senegal, Pochettino didn’t make any at halftime on Saturday. That felt a little surprising, given the desire to avoid injuries — a point amplified by Germany losing 19-year-old rising star Lennart Karl to a torn thigh muscle in its last practice Friday.

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The first moves came in the 62nd minute, with four from Pochettino and three from Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann. Antonee Robinson was one of them and looked to be grimacing as he left the field, but he confirmed postgame that it was a hamstring cramp.

Ten minutes later, Pochettino made six more moves, completing the swaps of all 10 of his outfield players — all but Freese in net.

Sané scored Germany’s winner in the 57th after a long spell of possession for his team. The last touches were a pass from Bayern Munich superstar Jamal Musiala, a deft flick from Havertz, and the shot from Sané as U.S. captain Tim Ream backed off a step.

The U.S. had a few good chances in the second half, from Pulisic’s back-to-back shots early to substitute Brenden Aaronson forcing Oliver Baumann into a big save of a 20-yard blast in the 87th.

There also was a brief scuffle in second-half stoppage time that brought a big crowd of both teams’ players together.

But there was no equalizer, just a reminder of the margins when facing world soccer’s superpowers.

The World Cup in Philly

Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.

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