CHICAGO — A couple hours after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Germany at Soldier Field, the U.S. national team players boarded a bus headed to the airport for a charter jetting west. The training camps and friendlies and regional tournaments that had peppered the calendar since Mauricio Pochettino took charge 19 months ago were behind them now.
Destination: Southern California and a moment eight years in the making — a World Cup in the homeland.
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In spite of the setback, they headed out with a strong sense of themselves, a firm idea of both how Pochettino wants to play on soccer’s grandest stage and who will probably start the Group D opener Friday (9 p.m. ET, Fox) against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.
They spoke of unbreakable bonds and a positive culture. Pochettino repeated one of his favorite maxims: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
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They spoke of how they’ve grown together, held each other accountable and built a family environment.
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That’s all well and good, but make no mistake: They did not ace their final exam and they remain an unpolished team that has yet to show they’re capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
Saturday’s performance was a B at best — terrific in their response to an early deficit and creation of opportunities, satisfactory in their general performance and disappointing in their defensive shortcomings.
And yes, they lost. While the U.S. has grown under Pochettino, it has still yet to prove it can beat a global power. (The wins against Uruguay last fall and Senegal last weekend were very nice, but the Germanys, Brazils and Frances are the real tests.)
It’s unfair to compare a friendly littered with second-half substitutions to a World Cup match. But the aim remains the same: winning. And with a third opportunity this year to defeat a European heavyweight, they fell short again.
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Tired of moral victories, U.S. fans want so desperately to see this team take the next step. Maybe that comes at the World Cup. Maybe not.
“For sure, disappointed we lost,” left back Antonee Robinson said.
(Jamie Squire via Getty Images)
The Americans were much better Saturday than they were in decisive losses to Belgium and Portugal in March in Atlanta. But at the World Cup, these same legacy programs are sure to stand in the way of reaching the first U.S. quarterfinal since 2002.
Conceding a goal in the second minute on a set piece, as the Americans did Saturday, was a terrible way to go about things.
“In that moment, I was sad, I was upset,” Pochettino said. “The reaction was amazing, really positive. … We can deal with this type of situation that we can find in the future during the World Cup.”
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Robinson was happy to see the team respond so well because, “conceding that early, we could have easily crumbled, and it could have been a very, very bad day to be going into the tournament.”
Robinson evened the match with a moment of individual brilliance — a 23-yard, left-footed volley that whizzed over goalkeeper Oliver Baumann and streaked just under the crossbar. It was world class, through and through.
“Unreal,” midfielder Tyler Adams said. “I told him that after he scored, ‘Can you save that for next weekend?’”
Forward Christian Pulisic added, “Sick goal. He has that in him. He caught that one really well, and that’s a special goal for him.”
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Robinson said he has never scored one quite like that during his pro career spanning 11 years.
It was a rewarding moment too, after a series of injuries in recent years jeopardized his future.
“I couldn’t really see the light at the end of the tunnel, and everything I was doing to try and get well wasn’t working,” he said. “But now I’m feeling in pretty good shape, and happy we’ve got through the game, and I get to go and help my country at another World Cup.”
After Robinson’s stunning strike, the U.S. remained on its front foot and threatened to take the lead before halftime. The finished product, though, wasn’t good enough. Germany reclaimed the lead early in the second half, and for all the ambition and hustle put forth by 10 substitutes, the Americans didn’t have enough down the stretch.
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Nonetheless, their attitude heading into the World Cup remains upbeat.
“The response, the character, the resilience — all those kinds of things you want to see — we can raise our quality now,” Adams said.
The match also seemed to reveal Pochettino’s favored lineup.
Matt Freese played the entire match in goal after Matt Turner and Chris Brady split time against Senegal last weekend. Robinson and Sergiño Dest were running the flanks again. Tim Ream and Alex Freeman started on the backline again. (Miles Robinson stood in for Chris Richards, who remained out with an ankle injury.)
Adams’ partner was Malik Tillman, who lined up deeper than usual in midfield. Pochettino had spoken at training camp about an attacking player joining Adams and helping advance the ball quicker — an extra conduit of sorts between the defense and attack. Sebastian Berhalter filled that role in the 3-2 win over Senegal last Sunday in Charlotte.
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“Kind of a different position for me under this coach,” the soft-spoken Tillman said. “It’s different positioning defensively but still gives me a lot of freedom. … I know what to do. I know how to move, how to get on the ball. I’m quite flexible when it comes to position, so I can find my spaces basically almost everywhere.”
Pulisic, Weston McKennie and striker Folarin Balogun seem certain of starting in the attack.
Pochettino, of course, will not reveal his starters for the Paraguay opener until about an hour before kickoff. But Saturday’s lineup will probably remain largely intact at SoFi Stadium. The big question is whether Richards will return. He hasn’t played in three weeks and, even if available, he’s probably not at peak form.
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In another scare, Antonee Robinson limped off Saturday. He said it was muscle cramps. “It feels fine now,” he said. “It settled down.”
Center back Mark McKenzie, a second-half sub, was seen leaving the locker room after the match with an apparent foot ailment. No details were available right away.
All and all, Pochettino and Co. were pleased with their work not just since camp opened May 27, but the past 19 months.
Now, when it matters most, they need to show what they’ve learned.
“We have very good balance [with] all of the things we were talking [about] during one year and a half,” Pochettino said. “We were a little bit tough, we wanted to challenge them, we wanted to challenge everyone, but now it’s about [being] all together to put the interest of our federation, our soccer, our people, the fans and the country to give our best.”
