- USMNT lose 3-1
- 'Young' roster, average age of 24
- Berhalter says 'learning moment'
WHAT HAPPENED? Following a bright first 45 minutes that saw both teams head into the locker-room at a stalemate with a goal-a-piece, the USMNT lost control of the match and Germany's experience took over, per Berhalter.
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for the USMNT with worldie from distance, but Barcelona's Ilkay Gundogan leveled before the halftime break. The final 45 saw Julian Nagelsmann's side take over, with goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Jamal Musiala.
WHAT THEY SAID: "That's what this is about: us learning as a group. It's a young team playing against a very experienced German team and it's really about solidifying, waiting for moments, maybe not having so many attacks, but having really pinpointed attacks that result in goalscoring opportunities. It's tricky, but, again, we're looking at this as a learning experience. For us. it's using these games like this to figure out, 'Okay, how can we be successful against top teams?' I expect this German team to grow and improve and I think they're going to be a strong contender."
He added: "It's really these fine moments, the split seconds, where you need to be well-positioned, not open up any gaps in your backline and that's where it went wrong. In one case, tracking runners going through, keeping your organization in a four and the three in front of the four that's very difficult to break through. We lacked that in those moments, but Germany is a good team, and they're going to open teams up. They're going to create goalscoring opportunities because of the quality of the have in the field."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Under Berhalter, the USMNT is 4-4-6 against top-20 ranked FIFA sides. The 2026 World Cup hosts will need to start showing progress over the next few years if they want any chance at taking home the title on their home soil.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT? Berhalter's side are back in action Tuesday night when they host Ghana in an international friendly.