Kai Havertz ready for US challenge and Pulisic reunion: “A top team, with top players”

Germany forward Kai Havertz is preparing for a “tough test” when his nation takes on USMNT on Saturday in a pre-World Cup warm up game. Speaking on Wednesday, the 26-year-old described the US as a “top team” with a “great manager.”

Havertz joins up with Germany after clinching the Premier League title with Arsenal but falling agonizingly short in the Champions League final, losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties. He is in contention to start for Germany when they take on the USMNT at Soldier Field, Chicago this weekend.

Asked about the US strength, Havertz replied: “For me, they are a top team. They have top players, a lot of players who play in the top five leagues. A lot of them play in the Premier League.”

“I played with Christian Pulisic, together at Chelsea and for me he is a top player. We haven’t spoken about [USMNT] much yet, but we will in the next few days.”

Both Havertz and Pulisic were in the Chelsea team that lifted the Champions League in 2020/21, with Havertz scoring the winner in the final. He will be particularly wary of his former teammate after Pulisic’s starring performance against Senegal last weekend, scoring and assisting within the first 20 minutes. US head coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to name a close-to-full XI against Germany, with Pulisic looking to build on that positive showing.

USMNT on home turf

The US will go into the Germany game as underdogs, looking to pull off a shock against one of the genuine powerhouses of global soccer. Havertz will likely line up as the focal point of an attack that also features Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Lennart Karl, a fearsome prospect for the shaky US defense.

Nevertheless, Havertz is expecting a tough game from the World Cup co-hosts: “Now they have Pochettino as a coach, who is a great manager. For sure it’s going to be a tough game.”

“Obviously they play at home, they have the World Cup at home, so the fans are going to be excited and they will want to show the fans that America is a top football country,” he continued. “It’s going to be a tough test for us.”

The US-Germany game will kick off at 2:30pm (ET) on Saturday, June 6; the United States’ final pre-tournament game. The real action begins on Friday, June 12 when the US begin their group stage journey against Paraguay. Following that, the US will take on Australia (June 19) and Türkiye (June 25) to complete their group stage schedule.

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