USMNT vs Germany: what happens in case of a tie in the friendly match? Will there be penalties?

Gregg Berhalter will have a clearer idea of where his USMNT side is at when the final whistle blows at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford later this evening. Even though it’s just a friendly, tonight’s game against Germany will provide the Stars and Stripes with their toughest test since the Concacaf Nations League with Mexico in June - and the first encounter with European opposition since the 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in December, which prompted the team’s exit from the World Cup.

In terms of honors, international prestige and the overall head-to-head record, Germany might appear to head into the game as favorites although the team has lost some of their aura in recent years. In contrast, the USMNT is on the up and that is reflected in the FIFA ranking with the United States four places above Germany in 11th. Die Mannschaft were ranked No.1 in the world when FIFA changed its criteria in 2018.

The 12th time the two teams have met

The two nations have met on a total of 11 occasions - five of those in official competition and the rest in friendlies. None of those meetings ended level - there was always a winner. So what happens if tonight’s game ends in a tie on 90 minutes?

The short answer to that is nothing. Seeing at this game is only a friendly, a warm-up match which give coaches the chance to try out new players, test different systems and for the team to get to know each other, there is nothing in play - no trophy, no classification or change to a team’s position in the table. So there is no need for extra-time or a penalty shootout to determine a winner.

The only thing that could theoretically change is both team’s position in the FIFA ranking. As this game is being played in an official international window, the winners will add 10 points to their personal points tally in the world ranking. But as things stand, even that won’t have any impact one way or another.