USMNT
USMNT possible starting lineup for the friendly match against Germany
Gregg Berhalter has some tough decisions to make ahead of the USMNT’s game against 4-time world champions, Germany.
The USMNT and Germany will go head to head in a friendly game in Saturday 14 October with kick off at 3 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT. The game will take place at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut as a part of the FIFA break. Both sides see this game as a key fixture in their road to the next big tournament and as such they have brought with them their top tier squads.
For the USMNT, the return of Gio Reyna is a huge talking point in the squad, and an inclusion that signifies a step away from the controversy that marred the team after the Qatar World Cup 2022. “Gio’s done a great job this week in training”, Berhalter said. “He looks really sharp, really strong and I can see his quality. And for us, it’s about how do we build him up... to get the most out of him, for him to help the team the most and for him to return to Dortmund in really good shape to keep pushing forward.”
Germany have a new manager
The Germany side, whose value stands at three times that of their opponents, will see the debut of new manager Julian Nagelsmann, who replaced Hansi Flick. Berhalter said he remembered his first matches international manager, “thankfully, I had a month to prepare for it and he’s had three days. I know [Nagelsmann is] tactically a very astute coach. And for us, it’s interesting to see what he’s going to do, how he’s going to interpret the talent that he has into a formation.”
Players like Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz could be selected as the new manager looks to change things up in the starting XI vs USMNT after a string of disappointing results for his team, including a 1-4 loss to Japan at the start of last month.
Who will play for the USMNT against Germany?
Gio Reyna is heavily rumoured to feature but he will likely start from the bench. It must be taken into account that the player recently returned from injury and only a few days ago did he make his debut for Borussia Dortmund this season, where he played well and influenced heavily on the game, despite not being fully match fit.
“That’s old news”, Pulisic said when asked about the situation. “I mean, I haven’t even thought of it to be honest. Everything’s going smooth. Gio is great player and he’s right back where he left off.”