US show the fight Pochettino wanted – just in time for the World Cup

A sunshower began dousing the fans at Soldier Field as Matt Freese picked the ball out of his net. It was only the second minute of the United States’ final friendly before the World Cup , and mighty Germany had already opened the scoring with plenty of talent to turn the occasion into a rout. On this occasion, however, “when it rains, it pours” did not befit the US performance. By the time the precipitation subsided after 10 minutes or so, Pochettino’s starters stepped into the sunlight, determined to not be embarrassed by the four-time world champions. The hosts seldom looked over-run despite trailing, setting the stage for Antonee Robinson to volley an emphatic equalizer past Hoffenheim’s Oliver Baumann in the 37th minute. “I was thinking that we were lucky [to face this scenario],” Pochettino said after Saturday’s 2-1 defeat , “To see how we react, how we show character, how we show [togetherness], how we start to play under pressure. In the moment, I was upset, of course, but after that, I think it’s lucky. I think it’s good for us to see the reaction of the team. The reaction was amazing, it was really positive.” Early in Pochettino’s tenure, and especially in 2025, the US often compounded mistakes after conceding and struggled to get back into contests. At the time, he leaned on the fire of players who were often on the outside of the national team before he was hired, especially Patrick Agyemang and Diego Luna. …