USMNT departs Atlanta to face Germany in its final friendly before World Cup
The U.S. men’s national team wrapped up training at the new national training center in Fayetteville on Wednesday.
The federation surprised the team and U.S. Soccer staff with a flyover and an echoing “U-S-A” chant before the final session after a couple of weeks spent at the new digs.
Next, the U.S. will travel around the country for the World Cup hosted on home soil. Its first stop: Chicago, to face Germany in the final tuneup friendly before opening the tournament against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles.
Germany, No. 10 in FIFA’s world rankings, will pose a significant test for the 16th-ranked Americans. It will also serve as a meaningful match for USMNT midfielder Malik Tillman, who holds dual citizenship in the United States and Germany. Tillman was born in Germany but committed to represent the U.S. in 2022, when he was 20 years old.
“For me, it’s very special,” Tillman said. “I dream to be able to play in a World Cup, and then also playing Germany right before — (it’s) amazing, I would say a memory already. It’s great to be able to play this kind of game, it’s going to be very special and emotional for me.”
Tillman isn’t the only multinational player on the Americans’ World Cup roster. Christian Pulisic (Croatia), Tim Weah (France), Folarin Balogun (UK), Sergiño Dest (Netherlands), Antonee Robinson (UK), Ricardo Pepi (Mexico), Alex Zendejas (Mexico) and Gio Reyna (Portugal) all hold dual citizenship.
However, multinational players are not unusual for the national team. In fact, the 2022 roster had more. To leaders on the team, it makes no difference.
“I think they understand how big of a deal it is because it’s the biggest World Cup ever,” USMNT captain Tim Ream said. “But also, they’re not dumb — they know what it means to be hosting and be a part of the host team. I think they feel as much as anybody that they are American. They’ve spent most of their young lives in Europe, but they are just as American as the rest of us, and they feel that. They feel the energy.”
Tillman became a standout player last summer at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which eventually solidified his spot on the World Cup roster. He also had a productive season with Bayer Leverkusen with eight goals — including two in the UEFA Champions League — across 42 appearances.
There will be familiarity with the German squad Saturday at Soldier Field for Tillman, but also for the USMNT players who compete in the Bundesliga. Defender Joe Scally and Reyna, a midfielder, both suit up for Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“I play them every single weekend, so I guess I have a different perspective than other people who don’t play them as much,” Scally said. “For me, it almost feels like a Bundesliga game on the weekend. Obviously, they have a good team, but so do we. We have some very good young players, and I think it’s a good matchup.”
Sixteen of the 26 players on Germany’s World Cup roster compete in the Bundesliga with seven playing for Bayern Munich, which finished top of the table in the last two seasons.
The United States last faced Germany in 2023 and lost 3-1. Overall, the Americans hold a 4-8-0 record against Germany with their most recent win coming in 2015. The two have battled three times in World Cup play, all won by Germany, including in 2022 when the U.S. was knocked out in the quarterfinals.
“I think we’d all rather play a better team than a not-so-good team,” Scally said. “I think it makes the most sense to challenge yourself. Not so much (to) see where you’re at but just to play better competitions. (It’s) always more fun, better feeling on the field just to compare yourself to some of the best guys in the world.”
