Mauricio Pochettino praised the United States despite a 2-1 defeat to Germany in Chicago, describing the performance as an encouraging final test before the World Cup. The match at Soldier Field was the last warm-up before the opener against Paraguay on June 12.

The USA will enter the World Cup in Group D, facing Paraguay, Australia and Turkiye. The team is aiming for a fourth straight appearance in the knockout rounds, although history shows challenges, with only nine wins from 37 World Cup games, a 24% success rate.

Pochettino’s squad has shown mixed form across recent friendlies. The last 10 warm-up games produced five victories, four losses and one draw, underlining the inconsistency that still surrounds the group. Even so, Pochettino saw enough against Germany to suggest the team is moving in a positive direction.

Germany struck first when Kai Havertz scored early, punishing a slow defensive start from the hosts. Antonee Robinson responded with an equaliser that lifted the atmosphere and showed the USA’s resilience. The contest was eventually decided when Leroy Sane struck in the 57th minute, and the USA could not respond.

“Overall, I think it was a good performance. I am happy with the performance of everyone. We play one of the most important teams in the world,” Pochettino told reporters.

“I think we need to be happy with that. We compete, [we were] unlucky, I think it was an even game… It was an amazing challenge for us to see how we react, how we show character, how we show togetherness, how we start to play under pressure. We were demanding a lot to the players in the last two weeks. I’ve seen [us] overload the players and the team. Now [we have] to assess the load and be intelligent in the way that we are going to arrive to the Paraguay [game], in the best condition, fresh with energy.”

For Pochettino, the contest with the four-time world champions offered a clear measure of the squad’s readiness. The coach highlighted the team’s competitive spirit and believes the performance, more than the result, gives the USA a strong send-off heading into a demanding USA World Cup campaign.