The USMNT walked into their final send-off friendly against Germany needing to remind everyone — themselves included — that this team can actually play. The buildup was tense. The XI raised eyebrows. McKennie was sitting deeper than usual and Chief immediately clocked it as maybe the strongest group Pochettino could put on the field right now.
The pregame read on the lineup, with McKennie dropping into a deeper role.
McKennie looking like he’s playing deeper. This is probably their best possible starting 11
Germany went up early because of course they did — that's the script in basically every friendly against a real European side. Then Antonee Robinson decided he had other ideas. A loose ball drops, he winds up on the volley, and absolutely top-bins it. The celebration was a knee-slide worthy of the strike, and the whole bench emptied like it was a knockout-round winner.
Robinson's volley from the run of play and the celebration that followed.
The English broadcast was hyped. The Spanish broadcast was on another planet entirely. Telemundo's call of the Robinson equalizer has been making the rounds for a reason — it's the kind of delivery that turns a friendly goal into a moment you remember. If you've never been sold on watching games in Spanish, this clip is the pitch.
The Telemundo call of Robinson's equalizer, which is arguably better than the goal itself.
This is still a friendly. Nobody is hanging a banner for going toe-to-toe with Germany in June. But after months of "what is this team even doing" energy, the first half against an actual top-tier opponent looked like a side that belongs at the big show. Chief said it plainly — that performance made him believe. If they can sustain even 70% of that intensity into real games, the tournament gets a lot more interesting.
Chief's verdict on the first half: dominant stretches, real belief.
Beating Germany in your last warmup, even in a glorified scrimmage, is the kind of locker-room currency you can't buy. Heading into Paraguay with that on the resume? That's a different team showing up.