Is the USMNT ready for the World Cup? After loss to Germany, the jury's still out - ESPN

CHICAGO — Results matter most, and the United States men's national team didn't get what it hoped for in that regard in its pre-World Cup sendoff game, a 2-1 loss to Germany in Chicago on Saturday. But the Americans dictated the tenor of the match for much of the 90 minutes.

As has been the case for many recent matches, finishing made the difference — the U.S. didn't do quite enough of it, and opponents did plenty.

After an early glitch led to a free Kai Havertz header and goal for the visitors, the U.S. established control around the 10th minute and rode it out for the rest of the first half. Antonee Robinson's wonder strike tied the match in the 37th minute, and the U.S. continued to create more dangerous opportunities (and earn plenty of corners).

But in the 57th minute, just as a number of stars were getting ready to leave the pitch, a long sequence of passes resulted in Havertz finding a surprisingly open Leroy Sané at the top of the box. The Galatasaray veteran gave Germany a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Backups for both teams created some late chances, and Giovanni Reyna, Joe Scally and Brenden Aaronson forced late saves from Germany's Oliver Baumann.

«I think it was an even game,» U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said afterward. «If you see the stats, some of the stats [were] for us. I am so happy with the commitment and… how the reaction was [after the early goal].»

The U.S. has played four consecutive matches against teams in the top 15 of FIFA's rankings, winning one and losing three. In terms of chance creation, the team fared well, attempting shots worth 5.6 expected goals (xG) to opponents' 6.2. But opponents finished their chances at a far higher level and scored 11 goals to the USMNT's six. There's perhaps