USMNT's 'Shocking' Defense Overshadows Christian Pulisic Goal in Loss to Germany

It was all looking good for the United States. Christian Pulisic had scored a stunning goal in the 27th minute, the Americans were looking fluid going forward and confidence seemed to be growing against a talented but somewhat disjoined Germany side.

But while the United States had looked threatening in attack, there were cracks in the dam at the back.

The pressure only intensified after İlkay Gündoğan leveled things up in the first half, and the walls fully crumbled in a miserable second-half performance from the USMNT backline as both Niclas Füllkrug and Jamal Musiala scored to give Germany a 3-1 win in Saturday's friendly.

Frankly, it could have been worse. When the final whistle blew, Germany posted nearly 60 percent of possession and out-shot the United States 19-6 (7-3 on goal). Had the Germans been more clinical on their chances, especially in the first half, an entertaining but ultimately disappointing USMNT performance might have been a downright disaster.

And fans and pundits alike weren't about to let the Americans off the hook for a defensive and midfield performance that left much to be desired:

The defending will ultimately overshadow what might have otherwise been a promising performance from the team's attackers. While Gregg Berhalter still needs to find a way to get the ball into Folarin Balogun with more consistency, Pulisic and Timothy Weah were fantastic off the wing.

Seeing Pulisic thrive at the club level since his move to AC Milan and score goals like the beauty he posted Saturday is certainly good news for the USMNT.

It's a moot point if the defense proves porous versus opposing attackers and flails at the ball like a toddler trying to swat a fly with a tennis racquet.

Such was the case on Saturday, and Germany punished the Americans for it. Berhalter and the defense have some serious questions to answer after that showing.