The Rondo, USMNT edition: Is the Germany loss concerning, who stood out in World Cup tune-ups and who didn’t?

A convincing win over Senegal, followed by a spirited defeat to Germany have the USMNT with a clearer idea of who they are ahead of the World Cup

In the last week, the USMNT played two games. They won one against a pretty good team, and lost one against a very good team. The win was narrow. The loss was, well, a little harder to define.

A 2-1 defeat to Germany is not exactly a disaster. The U.S. have quarterfinal ambitions. Germany, as ever, expect to win the whole thing. There is a gap there, and Saturday showed it.

Still, there were good things to take from the loss. Germany scored inside the first two minutes. The U.S. didn't crumble. They found a well-deserved equalizer, pushed back physically and, for stretches, looked like a team that could compete. And then, of course, quality took over. Germany scored again in the second half and didn’t really give the Americans a sniff after halftime. That, ultimately, was the difference between a world-class team and a pretty good one.

So what can we take from all of this? Going into a World Cup off a loss is, objectively, not ideal. But these games tend to be judged on performances, at least if the messaging from the players and manager is to be believed. Better a spirited defeat than a lifeless one.

Friday is when the drama really starts. The U.S. will be judged on tournaments, and tournaments alone. But there are still takeaways from this final week before it all begins. GOAL writers try to figure them out in another edition of... The Rondo.

Getty
Did the Germany result change your perceptions of the USMNT?
Tom Hindle: Nope. In fact, this felt like a bit of a trendy throwback. The USMNT tried pretty hard but couldn't really get close to a far superior opponent. Sure, there was a nice scrappiness to things, and there are elements to suggest that they're a decent team. But what does a spirited loss against a proper contender that never got out of second gear tell you? My money is "not much."
Ryan Tolmich: Not really. This is a good, but not great, team that can play with the big boys but hasn’t shown the ability to beat them. Are there signs of progress? Sure, but that progress hasn’t fully manifested itself yet in the form of an actual result. Until that happens, they’re where they’ve been for a while: pretty good, not elite.
Alex Labidou: Strangely, the loss had a silver lining for Mauricio Pochettino and his staff: the fight shown (literally) by his side.
Think back to the June friendlies last year, when an early goal conceded against Switzerland felt like the end of the world, and the Americans shipped three more from there. Saturday’s loss could have gone the same way. Instead, the U.S. largely went toe-to-toe with one of the better teams in the World Cup field. Take away two avoidable goals, and this looks a lot more encouraging. Either way, Pochettino and Co. can leave Chicago with their heads up.

Getty
Which player stood out the most during the tune ups?
TH: Alex Freeman is a good footballer who could yet be a great one. What a week or so it has been for him. Sergino Dest was the biggest surprise, for me - especially given his injury struggles of late. He's always been an attacking full back, but his instincts to get into the box were invaluable. He will be a real weapon off the right in games when the USMNT have the ball.
RT: Weirdly enough, Freeman. He arrived with this team as a free-flowing attacking right back. He’s now a defensive-minded fullback/centerback that is used to protect the USMNT backline with his pace. And, despite being less than a year and a half into his senior career, he doesn’t look out of place in that role.
AL: Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman. Pulisic’s quality is obvious, but he had been stuck in a rut for a while. Even without a goal contribution against Germany, he looked nearly as dangerous as he did against Senegal last weekend. Tillman, meanwhile, didn’t have a great season at Bayer Leverkusen, but he responded with two impactful performances for Pochettino in these tune-ups. He should be in the starting XI when the U.S. line up against Paraguay.
Getty Images Sport
Which player are you most concerned with?
TH: Malik Tillman. Is he good enough to start? It seems like the Bayer Leverkusen man is still cashing in on a spirited Gold Cup. His season in Germany was pretty woeful, and he didn't show much here. His defensive work is always good, but there is a world in which Reyna is a better choice in that attacking midfield slot.
RT: Whatever center back isn’t Chris Richards. If he isn’t good to go, the drop off is steep, as evidenced by these two games. Maybe the USMNT can survive without him, but that’s not a bet I’d want to make.
AL: Miles Robinson.
To be fair, his struggles haven’t received the same attention as, say, Pulisic’s dip in form, but they’ve been notable since the start of the MLS season. FC Cincinnati have a stacked center back group and still struggled badly defensively until recently, which shouldn’t be the case. From a tools perspective, Robinson’s athleticism and the potential he showed in his Atlanta United days should make him a favorite to start, especially if Chris Richards is out. But the performances haven’t matched the profile. His mistakes over the past two weeks mean Pochettino may need to look elsewhere Friday.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty
How crucial is it for Chris Richards to make his return by the opener?
TH: Immensely. He's the best center back the U.S. have by some distance, and an ideal guy to play in the middle of a back three. He needs to be in the team ASAP. Pochettino has played his cards close to his chest, but it looks an awful lot like the U.S. are keeping him wrapped in cotton wool until he's ready to go. And that is just fine - as long as he can kick a ball by Friday evening.
RT: The opener? Maybe not so much. This team could handle that first game without him if it guarantees he’ll be back down the line. The nightmare would be using him before he’s ready, just to lose him for further games. There’s a balance here, then, and it’s in the hands of medical professionals.
AL: If these two tune-ups showed anything, it’s that Richards might be the USMNT’s second-most important player behind Pulisic.
The backline misses his range, recovery speed, and composure, and he can be a real factor on set pieces at both ends. The U.S. are likely favorites against Paraguay if Richards plays. If he doesn’t…
Getty
Where does Robinson's goal rank among USMNT strikes?
TH: Can I swear here? If so, I believe the word you're looking for to describe his goal is "Sh*tpinger." Otherwise, let's just call it very, very, very good. Hard to think of a better one in recent years. The knick off the bar was too good. Bonus points for the flip, too.
RT: Very good, but definitely not top top level. It just didn’t have the stakes to it that some have. It also doesn’t help that Benny Feilhaber scored a slightly better version of it in the exact same stadium.
AL: Robinson absolutely scored a banger, but honestly, it probably wasn’t the best volley or long-range goal ever scored by a USMNT player. Goals are also remembered for the moments they arrive in. Does Robinson’s rocket beat out Jermaine Jones’ World Cup strike against Portugal? Probably not.
AFP
Having seen this team through the cycle and tune ups, the USMNT are successful if....
TH: They make it to a quarterfinal. They beat Senegal, who will expect to be a Round of 16 team. They then lost to a side that has a genuine chance of winning it. These guys have the talent to win two knockout games. Sure, it depends on draw and such, but they should expect to beat two opponents in win-or-go-home situations.
RT: They win a knockout game. The group stage is manageable and, if you manage, you avoid the best teams. From there, who knows? The goal is to give yourself a chance to make a run. If that happens, everyone will be pretty proud of this summer.
AL: They reach the quarterfinals.
To be fair, when you pay Pochettino the amount the U.S. are paying him, the expectation should be even higher. But quality still determines results, and this team has enough to sneak past good opponents. The key word, though, is sneak. Line by line, there are still too many questions in defense and goalkeeping to confidently pick the U.S. against the top-10 caliber teams they would likely see by the quarterfinal stage.