USMNT player ratings vs Germany: Antonee Robinson rocket not enough as late fight caps intense final World Cup tune-up

Antonee Robinson scored a screamer and the USMNT showed plenty of fight, but defensive lapses proved costly in a 2-1 loss to Germany.

CHICAGO -- In theory, send-off games are about building excitement, both internally and externally. The job is simple: get on the field, raise spirits, and get out of there ready for the next game. In that sense, mission accomplished for the U.S. Men's National Team, who provided one elite moment of joy in their final pre-World Cup tuneup while also fighting, literally in one instance, to find more.

Antonee Robinson scored a thunderous volley in the first half, setting off "Freebird" celebrations across the Soldier Field crowd, but, at the end of the day, it wasn't quite enough in a 2-1 loss to Germany in the team's final friendly before the World Cup. In one sense, the U.S. will be disappointed by that loss, one that came with two more entirely preventable goals. In others, this was just fine, a nice game of momentum building after doing so to start this process with a 3-2 win over Senegal.

At the start, it looked like this could be a bad day for Mauricio Pochettino's side. Just one minute in, they let Germany seize the lead, conceding to Kai Havertz on a set-piece that was both brilliant but totally avoidable. They had to hold on for a few minutes after, too, with Germany seemingly lifted by that early finish.

The U.S. played their way into it, though, generating a fair share of chances. One finally went in in the 37th minute when Robinson smashed a Goal of the Summer contender from just outside the box. After that, it was the USMNT's turn on the front foot as Germany were lucky to escape to halftime with the score 1-1.

They'll be thankful they did. In the 57th minute, Germany found what turned out to be the game-winner as Leroy Sane danced past the USMNT's defense to find the back of the net. The goal was a blow to the USMNT, for sure, but not a big one, and it wasn't one that will make Saturday's experience any sort of failure.

Ultimately, the U.S. got what they came for: a good game, with some good moments and no real catastrophe to write home about. It's onto the next one, then, and that's the one that matters: Paraguay in Los Angeles to kick off their World Cup.

GOAL rates the USMNT's players from Soldier Field...

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Goalkeeper & Defense
Matt Freese (6/10):
Nothing he could do on the goal with how free Havertz was. Made a good save early in the second half.
Antonee Robinson (8/10):
An absolutely stunning goal to equalize in the first half. Defensively, he was tested a lot by Leroy Sane, but generally did what he had to do.
Miles Robinson (4/10):
Not good enough on Germany's early goal and, while he did get a little better, there were still some shaky moments. Just not really inspiring confidence at the moment.
Tim Ream (6/10):
Did very well overall, but could have perhaps been a step quicker on Germany's second. Passed well under pressure and his pace was never exploited, although Germany tried plenty of times in the first half.
Alex Freeman (7/10):
Had a few very bright moments, particularly on the ball. He's growing into this new role every time he plays it.
Sergino Dest (6/10):
Nearly got onto the end of a Folarin Balogun cross early in the first half. Had his typical moments of danger on the ball.

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Midfield
Weston McKennie (6/10):
Plenty of energy and effort, but nothing too game-changing on either side.
Tyler Adams (5/10):
He has had and will have far better games. Gave away a silly foul on the first goal and was a bit behind the play on the second.
Malik Tillman (7/10):
Pressing was next level, which led to some good half-chances for the U.S. Certainly helped his case with this performance.
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Attack
Christian Pulisic (7/10):
No goal or assist, but so, so good. Made Germany uncomfortable all day, and suffered some hard fouls for it. Probably deserved a goal and, to be fair, he did have chances to get it, but none quite came off.
Folarin Balogun (6/10):
Good work to generate a chance early, but otherwise, was more of a runner than anything. Those behind him generally benefitted from his runs, though.

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Subs & Manager
Gio Reyna (6/10):
One shot on target, but it was a soft one.
Auston Trusty (7/10):
Got back well on one German chance. Nothing crazy otherwise.
Mark McKenzie (6/10):
Plenty of chances to get on the ball, and he was fine when he had it.
Sebastian Berhalter (6/10):
There was one sequence late on where he did create space on the end line, but the referee ended up blowing his whistle.
Joe Scally (7/10):
Nearly scored a late one with a wild shot from outside the box.
Tim Weah (6/10):
Almost got loose down the right-hand side but got called for a questionable foul. Started a scrap late with a foul that Germany took offense to and it sparked a small fracas at the end of the match, but realistically, it was far from the worst tackle in this game.
Brenden Aaronson (7/10):
Did well with his one chance, cutting inside and forcing a strong save.
Cristian Roldan (N/A):
Didn't get enough of the ball to make a judgment.
Max Arfsten (N/A):
Same as above.
Ricardo Pepi (N/A):
Less than a handful of touches. Did press the keeper on one sequence to force a throw-in, though.
Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):
Safety first. Pochettino got 60-ish minutes out of his starters, which feels like a good amount with the World Cup looming. Not the result he wanted, of course, but not one that'll hurt preparation.

Goalkeeper & Defense

Midfield

Attack

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