CHICAGO – FIFA World Cup 2026 is nearly upon us.
One week from today is a matchday for the U.S. Men’s National Team as the team will kick off its campaign at FIFA World Cup 2026 with its opening matchup of the tournament versus Paraguay.
But first, one final test awaits. As the excitement builds towards the sport’s biggest tournament, which takes place for the second time in history on American soil, the USMNT faces an esteemed opponent in the final tune-up: a fixture against four-time World Cup winners Germany at Soldier Field on Saturday, June 6.
It’s a highly competitive setting to send off the U.S. Men’s National Team as it looks to make history and inspire the country in this year’s tournament. A win in the Midwest against a program of Germany’s regard and caliber could send the Americans into the global, high-stakes competition brimming with confidence and ready to take on its three quality opponents in Group D.
USMNT-Germany History
Soldier Field is a familiar site in the USA-Germany series. The venue in the heart of downtown Chicago was where the first matchup occurred between theses two sides in the 1993 U.S. Cup. Germany won that inaugural meeting, and the U.S. has collected four wins against the European side since.
The two countries have met a total of 12 times in the series history and three times in the World Cup (1998, 2002, 2014). In 2013, led by head coach and former German World Cup winner Jürgen Klinsmann, the U.S. earned a 4-3 victory in Washington, D.C. in the Centennial Match honoring the 100-year anniversary of the U.S. Soccer Federation.
The most recent meeting between the two countries was in 2023, which Weston McKennie was a part of in East Hartford, Conn. Although the midfielder didn’t remember Germany’s roster for the game, or how many holdovers are on its FIFA World Cup 2026 squad, McKennie said that meeting three years ago showed the quality of the U.S. to battle a four-time World Cup champion.
“We played a good game,” he said. “We had the potential to win that game as well. We go into this game with a lot of players that haven't played against them yet and players that have. The new energy, the new style, the new circumstances in general leading into a World Cup are going to be a great test for us. We’re going to go out there with the same mentality that we always go out with and that’s to win the game.”
Germany enters Saturday’s matchup ranked 10th in the world, unbeaten in its last eight matches and fresh off finishing atop Group A in UEFA World Cup Qualifying. Germany will compete in FIFA World Cup 2026 in Group E with Curaçao, Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador.
Coming off a victory against 14th-ranked Senegal, the USMNT will be looking for its third win against a top-15 team under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. The head coach has championed playing more non-official matches against top European opponents, and the final match before FIFA World Cup 2026 will prove to be an excellent test.
“We wanted to play against the best in our preparation for the World Cup,” Pochettino said. “It’s a great opportunity after Senegal.”
Germany Connections
Several players on the USMNT roster have connections to Germany. Midfielder Malik Tillman was born in Furth, Germany and grew up there. He currently plays club soccer for Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga, Germany’s top-flight league.
Of his childhood, TIllman cites playing football after school in Germany as some of his fondest memories. A matchup like this between two countries he knows very well is an opportunity that he calls "very special.”
Malik Tillman in the match vs. Senegal
Two other USMNT players who play overseas in Germany are defender Joe Scally and midfielder Gio Reyna. They also play in Bundesliga, both for Borussia Mönchengladbach, giving all three plenty of access and exposure to native German players.
“They have a very good team,” Scally said of Germany. “I play them every single weekend, so I have a different perspective than other people who don’t play them as much. For me, it’s almost like a Bundesliga game on the weekend. They have a good team, but so do we. We have some very good young players, and I think it’s a good matchup.”
The competition between the U.S., which enters the meeting ranked 16th in the world, and Germany is expected to be fierce. That plus a sold-out crowd at Soldier Field, and coming off an amazing crowd Charlotte in the team’s win over Senegal, means the quality on the pitch could match a world-class atmosphere that carries over into FIFA World Cup 2026 this summer.
“They push us even harder,” Tillman said of the U.S. fans. “It’s exciting to be part of it. I hope a lot of people will come again and support us in the best way they can.”
Joe Scally (left) and Gio Reyna (foreground) at USMNT training
The Berhalter Family
Sebastian Berhalter was born in London, England and worked his way through the Columbus Crew Academy before signing with Vancouver Whitecaps FC where he currently plays club soccer. But the 25-year-old has great affection for the Windy City, the site of Sunday’s match for him and the U.S. Men’s National Team.
“Chicago is home,” Berhalter said. “It’s where my family lives and has for the past six years.”
Berhalter, the only starter who wasn’t subbed off at halftime in the Senegal match, is the son of current Chicago Fire head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter, who also served as head coach for the USMNT from 2018-2024. During that time, Berhalter worked with several National Team players on the current roster, including McKennie.
“Gregg was a big part of my National Team journey,” said McKennie. “I went to him with problems on and off the field. I’ve cried in front of him. We've had tough times and amazing times together, and so it'll be really nice to be able to see him around here, hopefully today, to catch up and go over some memories. I'm sure he'll probably give me some advice leading into the leading into the game, into the World Cup, because that's just the type of guy he is.”
The transition from Berhalter to Pochettino two years before FIFA World Cup 2026 was a significant pivot in U.S. Soccer’s trajectory – that period is shown in much greater detail in HBO’s documentary “U.S. Against the World,” which includes an exclusive interview with Berhalter in the third episode. Now cemented in Chicago as head coach and sporting director of Chicago Fire, Berhalter spoke warmly from the perspective of both a father and coach about the massive opportunity in front of the U.S. this summer.
“I’m really excited for this group and really excited for U.S. Soccer,” he said. “I think it's time now for the country to get behind the team and wish them the best in the World Cup.”
Sebastian Berhalter
Homegrown Chris Brady ‘Super Hyped’ to be in Chicago
USMNT goalkeeper Chris Brady is a tried and true Chicagoan. Born in Naperville, Ill., Brady grew up playing soccer across the Chicago suburbs, from the Naperville Park District to nearby Lisle. As he grew and evolved, his soccer career stayed close to home. He signed with the Fire as a Homegrown in 2020, played in MLS NEXT Pro with Chicago Fire II, signed a first team contract and made his MLS debut in 2022.
Brady was one of three goalkeepers named to Pochettino’s 26-player roster for FIFA World Cup 2026, along with Matt Turner and Matt Freese, although Brady was the only player of the 26 without a cap to his name. That changed in the team’s most recent match in Charlotte. Brady entered at halftime, replacing Turner who started the match, to mark the 22-year-old's official international debut.
“I was a little anxious going in,” Brady told reporters Friday. “Obviously it's a big moment, and I was trying my best to make sure I check all my boxes before getting in. I had a good warm up, and I felt really prideful to be out there representing the country, my family, my team, and the hometown. It was a hell of an experience, I'll tell you that.”
Brady is having a good season with Chicago Fire and currently ranks tied for second in MLS in clean sheets. Now, with the USMNT turning its attention to the final tune-up in Chicago, where Brady was born and raised, the goalkeeper said it’d be incredible to make an appearance wearing the U.S. crest in his hometown and in the venue where he plays his club soccer.
“I have family and friends there, and it'd be a familiar place,” he said. “A lot of pride, a lot of excitement, and a lot of energy for me. I'll be super hyped up for that, if that’s the case.”
