The United States and Germany are both eagerly awaiting the start of the FIFA World Cup, and their final tune-up game will be played in Chicago.
Germany, considered to be among the favorites to hoist the World Cup later this year, is eager to get things underway, but before they can, they’ll be facing a United States squad that is preparing to host the tournament for the first time since 1994.
The United States will have less than a week of turnaround time before they have to open their slate, taking on Paraguay in their first game of Group D play in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.
While it’s unknown which players will take the field at Soldier Field on Saturday for the United States, at least one player has ties to the city, as goalkeeper Chris Brady will be on his first World Cup roster this year.
Brady is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Chicago Fire, and growing up in Naperville he has plenty of experience manning the net in the Chicago area.
Lionel Messi is likely playing in his final World Cup. He’s one of a handful of players that you should keep an eye on as the soccer action gets underway.
Christian Pulisic will be hoping to boost his World Cup resume as the AC Milan star takes the field for the United States, with Folarin Balogun and Gio Reyna also showcasing their stuff in friendly matches prior to the tournament.
Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are among those locking down the midfield for the American squad, and the defensive line includes multiple players who are plying their trade in Europe, including Sergino Dest, Alex Freeman, and Joe Scally.
The United States is coming off of a win over Senegal in their last friendly game, but they had a rough go of things in March, losing 5-2 to Belgium and then 2-0 to Portugal. They did have a 5-1 win over Uruguay late last year, and they also played a friendly against Paraguay, winning 2-1 on November 15.
On the German side of the pitch, the team is loaded up with some of the top scorers in Europe, including Kai Havertz, who scored Arsenal’s lone goal in the Champions League Final against PSG last weekend in Budapest.
Florian Wirtz, who has scored three goals in international friendlies for Germany in the lead-up to the World Cup, also made the cut for the roster, as did Deniz Undav, who also has three goals in two appearances.
Bayern Munich has three more players in the midfield group for the Germany squad, and Stuttgart also sent a pair of players, with Angelo Stiller and Jamie Leweling making the cut.
Starting lineups for the game will be announced shortly prior to kickoff, which is set for 1:30 p.m. Central time. The game will air nationally on Telemundo Chicago, and will also air on Turner Sports’ properties.
