6 2026 World Cup Questions For Mauricio Pochettino Following USMNT's Loss To Germany
Like much of the last four years for the U.S. men's national team, the final two friendlies before 2026 World Cup begins proved a mixed bag.
The USMNT fell 2-1 to Germany in their final tune-up at Soldier Field on Saturday afternoon in a game decided by Leroy Sanรฉ's 57th-minute goal.ย
The Americans acquitted themselves respectably against the four-time World Cup champions and No. 10-ranked team in the current FIFA World Rankings. And Antonee Robinson struck a sensational volley, the Americans' first-half equalizer that everyone in the crowd of 63,636 will remember.
At the same time, they also conceded multiple goals for a fourth consecutive match, interrupted some positive momentum and left manager Mauricio Pochettino with some questions to ponder heading into the Group D opener against Paraguay next Friday.
Here six of the biggest unknowns with six days until the competition begins for real.
How Disappointing Is This Result?
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On the one hand, there were plenty of promising moments -- before halftime in particular -- against the second-most decorated side in World Cup history.
On the other hand, it's yet another case of the Americans failing to earn a signature result against a recognized global power, and in this case against a version of that global power considered to be off its top form.
On paper, Germany is still better than any side the USMNT will see in Group D, and shouldn't make the Americans feel less ambitious about advancing and perhaps even topping their group.ย
Yet the goal has always been to make a deep, possibly even unprecedented, World Cup run on home soil. And if that's the goal, eventually you're going to have to beat a Germany or two along the way (or at least force penalties).
Saturday's loss doesn't mean the Americans can't do that when everything is on the line. Bruce Arena's 2002 quarterfinalists actually lost their final preparatory match. But it always helps to have one of those performances committed to muscle memory before the tournament begins.
How Close Was This to Pochettino's Ideal XI?
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Unlike Sunday's 3-2 win over Senegal, Pochettino opted to keep all of his starters on for the first 16 minutes of the second half before three substitutions entered.
And neither side made more than five changes overall, giving this more of the feel of a true dress rehearsal for the competitive fixture arena.
That could suggest this XI, which swapped in Malik Tillman and Weston McKennie for Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter, is the closest we've seen to what Pochettino intends to field six days from now in Southern California.
On the other hand, Pochettino is generally considered more flexible with tactics and team sheets than his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter.
So it's possible, and maybe even likely, that the Argentine has envisioned three different sides tailored to three different opponents the Americans will face in the group stage.
How Long Will Pochettino Wait For Chris Richards?
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Pochettino has admitted to being "annoyed" that center back Chris Richards' ankle injury was worse than initially reported by Crystal Palace ahead of their UEFA Europa Conference League triumph.ย
But Saturday may provide reason for the Argentine to continue to be patient with the 26-year-old from Alabama, even if that means he might not be fit to go until matchdays 2 or 3 in group play.
Miles Robinson was uninspiring for a second consecutive match, appearing to lose Kai Havertz on Germany's opening goal. And while he is one of only six center backs on the American roster, he is the only one whose athleticism and range give him similar abilities.ย
There aren't any potential realistic late roster additions that meet that description either. Physically, the only potential comp in the player pool is the uncapped 19-year-old Noahkai Banks, and the German-American dual national reportedly declined a March call-up to keep his options open for the next cycle.
Pochettino's instincts may be to move on from a player if it's uncertain he will be fit by the start of the tournament. But Richards is the second-most irreplaceable player on the team behind only defensive midfielder Tyler Adams, and that may well convince the Argentine to bend his rules after this showing.
Is Dest In Wide Midfield a Feature or a Bug?
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A right back for PSV Eindhoven, a side which dominates the majority of its domestic league matches, Sergiรฑo Dest has been pushed to a true right midfield position in the USMNT's two preparatory friendlies.
And after some light-hearted criticism from his own teammates that he honored his defensive instincts too often in a 3-2 friendly win over Senegal last Sunday, the Dutch-born talent was in the middle of almost everything promising the Americans did going forward in the first half.
But perhaps that was more about tactical surprise than his true capabilities there, because early in the second half, he was rarely on the ball, and rarely afforded time when he was.ย (He eventually switched to the opposite flank after Tim Weah's entrance.)
The right flank wasn't exactly considered a position of need for Pochettino's squad coming into the tournament. And if Dest's early flourishes in that role are more about catching an opponent off guard than his true capabilities, it could be more of a risk to try him in that role than these two friendlies suggest.
Is Jedi Robinson Back?
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Objectively, Antonee Robinson's thunderous volley from 22 yards out was one of the all-time great goals ever scored by someone wearing a USMNT jersey. And yet the overall performance was not as resounding as that moment would suggest.
The Fulham left back was caught out on an apparent early second German goal that was ruled out only after the assistant referee said the ball had gone out of bounds prior to the decisive cross.
And even though the TNT broadcast confirmed that his earlier-than-planned exit was due to cramps rather than a more significant muscle injury, it will raise questions about his fitness level after an injury-plagued Premier League campaign.
He gave only four consecutive 90-minute performances for Fulham down the stretch after his latest injury absence. And Pochettino's desired frenetic pace of play could prove particularly taxing for Robinson, who is already the kind of player who is asked to be a two-way threat on the flanks.
Brenden Aaronson, Potential Super Sub?
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Brenden Aaronson was one of the more disputed inclusions in Pochettino's 26-man squad, but in the latter minutes in Chicago, which otherwise lacked quality, he gave the most promising performance among the American substitutes.
The Leeds United man has only come off the bench in 10 of his 83 league appearances over the past two seasons, but as a player whose workrate is arguably his best quality, his relentlessness against weary opposition in the heat of a World Cup summer might be best deployed in short, late bursts.
It's certainly a role he was familiar with under Berhalter, scoring at least three times as a substitute for the previous USMNT manager, according to his fbref.com goal log, with each of those goals giving the USA a two-goal advantage. (Not all USMNT fixtures are tracked by fbref.com.)
He also scored his lone Concacaf Gold Cup goal for Pochettino as a substitute in the 82nd minute of a 5-0 drubbing of Trinidad and Tobago in group play in 2025.
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