69 min: Another hydration break coming and more waves of substitutions expected with it. Additionally, Raum has been shown a yellow card for a challenge on Tillman.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.09 EDT<\/p>\n 65 min: Antonee Robinson, the US goal-scorer, appeared to be limping as he came off the pitch. The US can only hope it was a cramp.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 64 min: Reyna, Trusty, McKenzie and Berhalter are on for the United States. McKennie, Pulisic and the Robinson (Miles and Antonee) are off.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 63 min: A bevy of substitutions are happening at the hour mark. Anton, Raum and Undav are on for Germany<\/a> in place of Kimmich, Havertz and Brown.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a016.02 EDT<\/p>\n GOAL! USA 1-2 Germany (San\u00e9, 57 min)<\/p>\n The Germans are back in front after San\u00e9 runs on a ball from Havertz in the center of the area and rolls a shot that takes a deflection past the outstretched arms of Freese.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 54 min: San\u00e9 sends it high over the crossbar. A hockey style line shift for the US appears imminent with a platoon of subs getting loose along the goal line.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 53 min: Germany<\/a> win a free kick from a dangerous position. San\u00e9 stands over it \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 49 min: Nmecha\u2019s low shot from just outside the box is saved by Freese.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 48 min: Almost immediately it\u2019s a chance for the US, who have picked up right where they left off in the first half. Tillman finds Pulisic on the left side of the area and the striker is turned back not once but twice by Baumann. Tillman then puts a third shot over the crossbar. The offside flag goes up so it wouldn\u2019t have counted.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 46 min: The second half is under way in Chicago. No changes for either side.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cOverall I think it was a good competitive game against one of the best teams in the world,\u201d USA<\/a> coach Mauricio Pochettino tells TNT. \u201cIt was difficult after [the early goal] to be in the game, but we did very good things, we need to keep pushing. In the second half, we\u2019re going to start with the same starting 11 but we\u2019re going to do all the changes we can.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.45 EDT<\/p>\n A very impressive response by the USMNT after conceding so early. They haven\u2019t appeared overwhelmed by Germany\u2019s (expected) physicality, showing less fear in the final third to work out attempts that have yielded in crucial corner kicks. No small feat to outshoot Germany<\/a> 11-4 in any half.<\/p>\n Will be a trick to sustain this initiative after the break, especially as the expected changes occur. A lot of encouraging signs in that first half on the whole.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Half-time: USA 1-1 Germany<\/p>\n A surprisingly fun opening half after a messy start. Pulisic looked especially threatening over the last quarter hour. But it\u2019s unlikely we\u2019ll see more of him today with wholesale substitutions expected at the intermission.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45+3 min: The US corner goes to Antonee Robinson, who finds Pulisic on the edge of the box. Pulisic has a go on goal but it\u2019s deflected out for another corner, which is quickly snuffed out by Germany<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45+2 min: Pulisic makes a 30-yard run with the ball into the final third before he\u2019s tracked down by a defender. The ball is out for another US corner.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min: The fourth official signals for three minutes of stoppage time.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 44 min: Another big chance by Pulisic, whose shot is deflected out by Tah over the top-left corner for the United States\u2019 fifth corner. It comes to nothing but the Americans\u2019 are headed toward half-time with momentum to burn.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 42 min: Dest runs on to a pass from Antonee Robinson, but his angled shot rises over the crossbar. The crowd is right back in it now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 40 min: Germany<\/a> on the back foot now with the hosts riding a tailwind of momentum, but the US interplay on a couple of attacks can\u2019t quite connect.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! USA 1-1 Germany (A Robinson, 37 min)<\/p>\n Another corner for the US. Pulisic swings it in and Germany<\/a> only half-clear. The ball drops invitingly for Antonee Robinson 25 yards from goal and the left-back unleashes a thunderous first-time strike. It grazes the underside of the crossbar and into the roof of the net before anyone can react. A stunning goal from Robinson and Soldier Field erupts as the United States pull one back. Game on.<\/p>\n Antonee Robinson levels the score for the United States with a 37th-minute goal. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.19 EDT<\/p>\n 35 min: A mildly nervy moment as Pavlovic\u2019s shot from the edge of the box takes a tricky deflection, but Freese tracks and corrals it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32 min: Dest tries to send in a corner but it\u2019s deflected off course past the goal line by a Germany<\/a> defender for the US\u2019s third corner of the afternoon. The outswinging effort is easily cleared by the visitors.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 28 min: The pace has slowed over the past six minutes since the break, probably to be expected amid these human conditions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> A bit funny to add a hydration break when the players were so thoroughly doused for the first 10 minutes. Germany<\/a> will be grateful for the reprieve as the US had finally begun to pose a threat in possession, while Germany\u2019s best looks since Havertz\u2019s opener have come by spraying the ball beyond the defense for Leroy San\u00e9 to run onto down the right. <\/p>\n Matt Freese has been awfully timid to leave his line since conceding, doing little to project confidence compared to Matt Turner\u2019s first-half performance against Senegal.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 22 min: The teams pause for a hydration break.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 20 min: A bit better from the US over the past few minutes. They\u2019ve responded nicely from a dismal start as Germany\u2019s attack has gone on walkabout. The US win another corner, but Pulisic\u2019s offering comes to nothing.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 15 min: The Americans win their first corner of the afternoon. It\u2019s played to Dest a few steps outside the area and he takes a crack that sails safely over the crossbar.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min: The US are keeping the ball in the midfield for the first time today. It\u2019s a start.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 13 min: Cheers from the crowd as the rain subsides as quickly as it arrived and the sun comes back out. Behind every cloud …<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 10 min: Another deadly serious Germany<\/a> chance is denied by the offside flag. The US are two narrow calls away from being down 3-0 after 10 minutes.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 9 min: Dest runs on to a long throughball but he\u2019s chased down by a Germany<\/a> defender and the United States\u2019 first hint of a chance is thwarted.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 8 min: Germany<\/a> in total control with 70% possession and all of the scoring chances in the early stages.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 6 min: Havertz nearly has a second goal after six minutes but he\u2019s denied by the offside flag.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> An uncredited assist owed to Nico Schlotterbeck for a perfectly executed screen on Tim Ream, leaving Havertz unmarked with Miles Robinson on the wrong side of the Arsenal midfielder.<\/p>\n Kai Havertz scores for Germany in the second minute. Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.49 EDT<\/p>\n 4 min: Almost on cue, the skies have opened above Soldier Field and umbrellas come out all over the park.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! USA 0-1 Germany (Havertz, 3 min)<\/p>\n All too easy. San\u00e9 puts it right on the head of Havertz, who calmly deposits it into the back of the net with a gaggle of US defenders in his wake. One week after scoring for Arsenal in the Champions League final, the 26-year-old striker has found the score sheet in Chicago.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.57 EDT<\/p>\n 2 min: An early free kick given to Germany<\/a> as Nmecha is brought down by Adams. San\u00e9 will take it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 1 min: And we\u2019re off! The US kick off and attack from left to right in their all-blue strips. Germany<\/a> are going from right to left in white shirts and blue shorts.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.57 EDT<\/p>\n And here\u2019s Guardian US soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter from the Soldier Field press box:<\/p>\n double quotation markA lovely show of appreciation from the German fans stationed near the press box during a rousing belted edition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Some fans in M\u00e4ttheus, Kimmich and M\u00fcller jerseys opted to applaud the opponent\u2019s anthem throughout its entirely. There\u2019s an opera enthusiast inside many of us, apparently. <\/p>\n A nice pre-match ceremony as well, with members of the 1994 roster given an ovation before all 26 players on this summer\u2019s squad were named and applauded by the fans in attendance. That included Chris Richards, whose status remains in limbo as he recovers from a late-season ankle injury.<\/p>\n Share<\/a> Guardian US soccer editor Alexander Abnos has entered the chat with a dispatch from the ground at Soldier Field.<\/p>\n double quotation markThe vibes are high here in Chicago \u2013 fans are still sprinting to the stadium entrance and the crowds have been legion outside for hours. In an era when so many US friendlies fail to sell out or create much atmosphere, this is about as rousing a send-off as they could possibly ask for.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s a picture-perfect 79F (26C) day in Chicago. The fans are out in full regalia as the teams make their way from the tunnel for the anthems. We should be under way in a few minutes.<\/p>\n A family of US fans take a photo together before kick-off. Photograph: Andrew J Clark\/ISI Photos\/Getty ImagesUS fans chant before the start of Saturday\u2019s game. Photograph: Daniel Bartel\/USSF\/Getty ImagesA Germany fan holds a banner prior to Saturday\u2019s kick-off. Photograph: Omar Vega\/USSF\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>Adams: ‘We believe that we can do something special’<\/p>\n USA midfielder Tyler Adams speaks with a TNT sideline reporter on the telecast. Asked what will be important for his team in today\u2019s game, he says: \u201cMinimizing spaces, but that\u2019s easier said than done when you\u2019re playing against such high-level players. We know there\u2019s going to be times where they break us down, where they\u2019re going to get in open spaces. It\u2019s about how we defend and get numbers around the ball and ultimately not conceding many chances.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cWe\u2019re playing in front of a home crowd. We need to get used to this atmosphere and bring the game to them. So playing balls in behind, pressing after we lose the ball. \u2026 We\u2019re just excited. Ambitious. We believe that we can do something special. Now it\u2019s about showing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.43 EDT<\/p>\n New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani may not have had much time to study the World Cup field, but that did not stop him from making one of the tournament\u2019s boldest predictions.<\/p>\n Playing the Guardian\u2019s World Cup Bracketology game<\/a>, Mamdani picked Morocco to win the 2026 World Cup, backing the Atlas Lions to beat France in the final. He admitted the choice was driven as much by emotion as analysis, saying he ultimately decided to \u201cgo with my heart\u201d.<\/p>\n If it happens, Morocco would become the first African nation ever to win the World Cup.<\/p>\n The prediction reflects Mamdani\u2019s long-standing connection to both soccer and New York City\u2019s North African communities. When Morocco became the first African team to reach a World Cup semi-final in Qatar in 2022, he joined celebrations on Astoria\u2019s Steinway Street after the quarter-final victory over Portugal.<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s bracket also features Haiti reaching the knockout stage, Japan upsetting Brazil and the United States advancing to the quarter-finals before losing to England.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Preamble<\/p>\n The wait is nearly over. Six days before the start of the World Cup, the United States get one final chance to cut their teeth on elite opposition as Mauricio Pochettino\u2019s side plays host to Germany before an expected capacity crowd at Soldier Field, the soon-to-be-former home<\/a> of the NFL\u2019s Chicago Bears.<\/p>\n The Americans arrive with some momentum after last week\u2019s entertaining 3-2 victory over Senegal<\/a> in Charlotte, where goals from Sergi\u00f1o Dest, Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun helped the USMNT quell a second-half fightback from Sadio Man\u00e9 and co. Today\u2019s challenge, at least on paper, stands to be more imposing. Germany, the four-time world champions sitting at 10th in Fifa rankings, provide the kind of measuring-stick opponent the United States are likely to encounter should they advance to the knockout stage later this month. The teams have met three times at the World Cup, most memorably in the Americans\u2019 controversial 1-0 quarter-final defeat in 2002. (Try mentioning Torsten Frings<\/a> to US supporters of a certain age.)<\/p>\n Pochettino makes five changes from the Senegal win, with Matt Freese starting in goal alongside Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Miles Robinson and Balogun. Tim Ream captains the side, while Pulisic earns his 86th cap and enters within one goal of Eric Wynalda for fourth place on the USMNT\u2019s all-time scoring table.<\/p>\n The lineups are in. We should be under way in just about half an hour.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>The lineups!USA<\/p>\n Freese; A Robinson, Ream (C), M Robinson, Freeman; Adams, McKennie; Pulisic, Tillman, Dest; Balogun<\/p>\n Germany<\/p>\n Baumann; Kimmich (C), Tah, Schlotterbeck, Brown; Nmecha, Pavlovic; San\u00e9, Musiala, Wirtz; Havertz<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Bryan will be here shortly. In the meantime here\u2019s the latest<\/a> on the Chris Richards situation.<\/p>\n![\"Jeff](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Jeff_Rueter,_L.png\")
Jeff Rueter<\/p>\nJeff Rueter<\/p>\nJeff Rueter<\/p>\nJeff Rueter<\/p>\n![\"Alexander](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Alexander_Abnos.png\")
Alexander Abnos<\/p>\n![\"Zohran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1919.jpg\")
Zohran Mamdani plays the Guardian’s Bracketology to predict World Cup winner \u2013 video<\/p>\n