Key events
GOAL! USA 1-0 Germany (Pulisic 27)
Oh, no big deal. Just a routine moment of running at the German defense, making a simple cut inside to the edge of the penalty arc, then blasting a shot so perfectly placed that ter Stegen could only watch it sail past him into the upper corner.
26 mins: PENALTY! Surely! What? No? Seriously?
Where’s VAR when you need it?
Pulisic is all alone in front of ter Stegen, he plays wide past him, and it certainly looked as though the Barcelona keeper tripped him.
We’ll have to wait to see a replay because there’s a chance at the other end that’s well saved by Turner standing his ground, and then …
22 mins: Again some danger from Germany at the top of the US box, and Turner comes up with the save.
Just a few seconds later, Dest fires on target from outside the box and off to the left, forcing a save from ter Stegen.
The USA earn another corner …
17 mins: Leroy Sané cuts through the US defense diagonally toward the goal, then sends a shot nowhere near anything of interest like a net or a goal post. He’ll have to be disappointed in that.
16 mins: The German defenders cope poorly with a ball that’s lofted in the area, and McKennie plays it back to Weah, whose shot deflects straight to ter Stegen.
14 mins: Weah makes a stellar, blazing run down the right, simply scorching past the German players who had pushed up for the corner kick. Pulisic streaks down the middle, Weah’s pass finds him, and the ball is played out for a corner at the other end. This has turned into a classic attack-vs.-counterattack game, maybe more by accident than by design, but it may be the USA’s best chance.
13 mins: Corner kick to Germany, and it just feels like a goal is coming.
11 mins: OFF THE WOODWORK. Pascal Gross is left all alone at the top of the penalty area, the ball is laid off for him, and the US is lucky that his shot only hit the post. Then even luckier that the rebound off the scrambling Turner doesn’t cross the goal line.
If you had 11 minutes in the “first mention of the US missing Tyler Adams” pool, congratulations.
10 mins: Balogun charges through the center, dinks the ball out right for Weah, and Weah’s cross is knocked out for a corner kick. Germany win the aerial battle on the first set piece of the day.
9 mins: CHANCE … and it’s Reyna bringing the ball down the right and cutting in a dangerous cross before ter Stegen is able to snare the ball. The US might not be playing specifically for the counterattack, but it’s looking like a potent tool to have in the back pocket.
7 mins: Musiala dances into the side of the US penalty area. He can’t get a good cross out of it, but it’s surely a confidence-builder for Germany.
A few seconds later, Musiala carries the ball confidently through the center of the defense. This is uncomfortable for the US, to say the least.
6 mins: Probably a bit more possession than the US defense would like to concede within 30 yards of their own goal, but Germany can’t create any sort of danger out of it.
4 mins: Christian Pulisic puts the ball in the net, but the whistle had blown several seconds earlier because Pulisic was offside, just barely inside the German half. The crowd did seem to enjoy Pulisic “scoring” on the “breakaway,” though.
3 mins: Nervous moment for Matt Turner, as the US keeper appears to lose a bit of footing before clearing under pressure.
Julian Nagelmann looks like he’s dressed for either a Pearl Jam concert or a yoga class.
1 min: The US defenders and midfielders string together about 10 passes in their own half but lose possession upon crossing midfield. Germany return the favor.
Peep! Yay, we’re finally playing.
Our referee is Fernando Guerrero of Mexico.
The anthems have almost finished.
I have a can of diet soda at the ready.
They’re going to commercial …
We start with a moment of silence, given all the recent horrific news. A couple of voices could be heard, but generally, it’s well observed.
Weather forecast …
The weather for the mid-Atlantic coast of the USA today is “meh.” Mid-50s Fahrenheit (low 10s Celsius) with annoying rain. That’s exactly what they tell me to expect when I visit Ireland or England, and yet it’s always glorious weather when I’m there. Strange.
Meet the new boss … not the same as the old boss
No, that’s not a reference to US coach Gregg Berhalter, who was out of contract for a while and then returned, to the consternation and concern of many in the US media and fan base.
The new boss for Germany is Julian Nagelsmann, who is all of 36 years old. I have clothes that are older than that. He is, though, already a veteran of coaching in the Bundesliga, to great success with Hoffenheim. He was fired at Bayern Munich for the cardinal sin of temporarily falling into second place.
Germany lineup
Goal: Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defense: Robin Gosens (Union Berlin), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfield: İlkay Gündoğan (Barcelona), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forward: Niclas Füllkrug (Borussia Dortmund)
The US lineup seems almost as Bundesliga-heavy as the German lineup, doesn’t it?
USA lineup
Gio Reyna, subject of a nasty family feud between the Reynas and coach Gregg Berhalter, is in the starting XI.
Goal: Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest)
Defense: Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Tim Ream (Fulham), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven)
Midfield: Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Yunus Musah (AC Milan), Weston McKennie (Juventus)
Forward: Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Folarin Balogun (Monaco), Timothy Weah (Juventus)
US Soccer says this is the youngest lineup the men’s team has ever put forth against Germany.
Can Germany pull the upset?
Wait … upset?
If you believe FIFA’s rankings, the USA (No. 13) should be the favorites over Germany (No. 14). But the more mathematical Elo ratings have Germany at No. 13 and the USA at No. 24, which sounds about right.
It’ll be a good look at the US team against good competition in any case. As with any friendly, individual performances will be just as important to watch as the final score, and thanks to Fifa’s insistence on robust Nations League competitions, this sort of game is all too rare for coaches looking for a good test of the player pool.
Beau will be here shortly.
