Preview: USMNT Hosts Four-Time World Cup Champion Germany, Presented By AT&T 5G

CHICAGO (Oct. 13, 2023) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will host four-time World Cup champion Germany, presented by AT&T 5G, on Oct. 14 in East Hartford, Conn. Kickoff from Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is set for 3 p.m. ET and the match will be shown live on TNT, Telemundo, MAX and Peacock. Live Spanish-language audio for both matches will also be available on Futbol de Primera. 

Fans will also be able to follow the matches via Facebook, Twitter @USMNT, Instagram @USMNT and the official U.S. Soccer App.

As the USMNT continues to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Germany boasts talent from some of the top clubs in Europe and are preparing to host the 2024 UEFA Championship.

DETAILED ROSTER BY POSITION (Club/Country; Caps/Goals)

GOALKEEPERS (2): Ethan Horvath (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 9/0), Matt Turner (Nottingham Forest/ENG; 33/0)

DEFENDERS (8): Cameron Carter-Vickers (Celtic/SCO; 12/0), Sergiño Dest (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 28/2), DeJuan Jones (New England Revolution; 7/0), Kristoffer Lund (Palermo/ITA; 2/0), Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 52/1), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/ENG; 12/1), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United; 26/3), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/GER; 6/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Johnny Cardoso (Internacional/BRA; 7/0), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo/ESP; 17/0), Lennard Maloney (Heidenheim/GER; 0/0), Weston McKennie (Juventus/ITA; 46/11), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/ITA; 29/0), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 20/4)

FORWARDS (7): Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin/GER; 34/8), Folarin Balogun (Monaco/FRA; 4/2), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 1/0), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/NED; 18/9), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/ITA; 62/26), Tim Weah (Juventus/ITA; 33/5), Alex Zendejas (Club América/MEX; 7/1)

KEEPING CONSISTENT

The October roster represents significant continuity, with a total of 18 of the 23 players that featured on the Gregg Berhatler’s squad last month for the consecutive shutout victories against Uzbekistan and Oman. There are 13 players who helped the U.S. reach the Round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 15 players that were a part of the squad that claimed its second consecutive Concacaf Nations League title this past June.

LIGHTING THE LAMP

A total of seven players on the roster have found the back of the net for the USMNT in 2023: Ricardo Pepi (6), Christian Pulisic (4), Brenden Aaronson (2), Folarin Balogun (2), Weston McKennie (2), Chris Richards (1), Tim Weah (1).

THE BUDDY SYSTEM

The roster features four sets of club teammates, all of which come from European sides:

PSV Eindhoven (Dest, Pepi), AC Milan (Musah, Pulisic), Juventus (McKennie, Weah) and Nottingham Forest (Horvath, Turner).

The PSV trio all joined former U.S. Soccer Sporting Director Earnie Stewart in Eindhoven this summer. Christian Pulisic – who has scored in the first two matches of the Serie A season in Italy – was followed by Yunus Musah to Milan, while Weah linked up with McKennie in Turin. Matt Turner moved from Arsenal to Nottingham Forest, meeting up with Evan Horvath, who returned from a successful promotion campaign with Luton Town in the English Championship.

BERHALTER BACK

Gregg Berhalter resumed the role of head coach last month after being re-hired on June 16 of this year. The first USMNT head coach to have played for the USA at a FIFA World Cup, Berhalter has amassed of 39-11-12 record in 62 matches during four years as head coach. After becoming the second-fastest manager in team history to achieve double-digit victories (17 games), he led the team to back-to-back confederation championships in 2021, defeating Mexico in both the inaugural Concacaf Nations League and Gold Cup finals, utilizing almost two completely different rosters in the process.

Deploying the youngest roster in the world during World Cup Qualifying, the USMNT qualified for Qatar 2022 and advanced to the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup with the second youngest team at the tournament while recording multiple shutouts on the world stage for the first time since 1930.

FACING THE GERMAN GIANTS

While the USMNT holds a 4-7-0 record against the four-time World Cup champs, the team has been successful in two of the last three matches. The USA defeated Die Mannschaft 4-3 in U.S. Soccer’s Centennial Celebration Match on June 2, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Two years later in Cologne, Germany, a late game-winner from Bobby Wood lifted the USA to a 2-1 win on June 10, 2015 -- less than a year after they captured the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The teams have also met three times in World Cup competition, with the USA falling 2-0 in 1998 before the Germans ended the USA’s farthest run in a World Cup in 72 years by snatching a 1-0 win in the quarterfinal of the 2002 tournament. The U.S. also narrowly surrendered a 1-0 win in the last match of group play during Germany’s run to the 2014 World Cup title. 

NO STRANGER TO THE OPPONENTS

While the USMNT will look impose its own style and identity against Die Mannschaft, the faces and style of the German National Team will be familiar to many members of the U.S. squad. Five players in the squad currently play in the Bundesliga, the top division in German soccer and one of the best leagues in the world, while another four have past experience there. What’s more, USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter spent a good chunk of his playing career in Germany.

• READ MORE: USMNT’s Bundesliga Connections

The current Bundesliga contingent: Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Lenny Maloney (Heidenheim), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach)

MALONEY THE LATEST DEUTSCHE DUAL NATIONAL

Should he make his debut on Saturday, Berlin-born midfielder Lenny Maloney would become the latest German-American player to suit up for the United States. Since 1990, a total of 16 German-born dual nationals have earned at least one cap for the USMNT. Seven of those players have represented the United States at a World Cup, with two serving as captain: John Brooks, Timmy Chandler, Thomas Dooley (c), Julian Green, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Mike Windischmann (c).

A potential Maloney debut would also make him just the third player in USMNT history to debut against the country of his birth, following Terry Springthorpe (June 8, 1953 vs. England) and Jerry Panek (August 3, 1973 vs. Poland).

Check out the list of German-born players that have suited up for the USMNT since 1990:

Player	Caps/Goals	World Cup Rosters
Terrence Boyd	13/0	-
John Brooks	45/3	2014
Timmy Chandler	29/1	2014
Thomas Dooley	81/7	1994, 1998
Julian Gressel	6/0	-
Fabian Johnson	57/2	2014
Jermaine Jones	69/4	2014
Jerome Kiesewetter	2/0	-
Michael Mason	5/0	-
Alfredo Morales	16/0	-
Malik Tillman	6/0	-
David Wagner	8/0	-
Danny Williams	23/2	-
Mike Windischmann	50/0	1990
Andrew Wooten	1/0	-
David Yelldell	1/0	-

HOME SWEET (EAST) HARTFORD

Having played its first match in the Hartford in 1973 at Dillon Stadium, the team is no stranger to the area. Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field has played host to USMNT games seven times since 2005. The U.S. collected a 1-0 shutout win at the venue against Trinidad and Tobago during final round qualifying for the 2006 World Cup with Brian McBride notching the game winner. The stadium also hosted a World Cup Send-Off match (2006), a Gold Cup group stage game (2013) and Landon Donovan’s last match for the United States (2014). Overall, the USA is 4-1-2 at the stadium and 5-1-2 in Hartford overall.

HONORING WOUNDED WARRIORS IN HARTFORD

U.S. Soccer is partnering with the Wounded Warrior Project to provide a special opportunity for several veterans of the U.S. armed services. The group will attend the training session and meet the team on Oct. 13 in Hartford and have been invited to attend the match against Germany.

ROSTER NOTES

• The roster will average 24 years, 128 days as of the first day of training on October 9. 
• The squad averages 20 caps overall.
• Eighteen players took part in the USMNT’s September camp.
• The roster is made up of 13 players that were part of the USMNT side at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 15 players helped the USA claim its second consecutive Concacaf Nations League titles this past June.
• With 62 appearances, Christian Pulisic is the leading cap-winner on the roster, followed by Tim Ream (52), Weston McKennie (46), Brenden Aaronson (34), Matt Turner and Tim Weah (33 each).
• The 23 players ply their trade in 10 different countries: Germany (5), Italy (5), England (4), Netherlands (2), USA (2), Brazil (1), France (1), Mexico (1), Scotland (1), Spain (1).
• Gio Reyna returns after recovering from the leg injury suffered during June’s Concacaf Nations League Final victory against Canada.
• Center back Cameron Carter-Vickers will take part in his first camp since the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
• Midfielder Johnny Cardoso, who also last appeared in the CNL Final against Canada, also returns to the squad after having to withdraw from September camp due to injury.
• Midfielder Lennard Maloney is the lone first-time call-up to October camp. The German-American dual national has appeared in all six Bundesliga matches for newly promoted Heidenheim this season. Maloney made two appearances for the U.S. U-20 MYNT in 2018 and has also previously played for Germany’s U-18 and U-19 sides.
• Should he appear against Germany, the Berlin-born midfielder would become just the third player in USMNT history to debut against the country of his birth, following Terry Springthorpe (June 8, 1953 vs. England) and Jerry Panek (August 3, 1973 vs. Poland).
• Should he appear in either match during the October window, 20-year-old Yunus Musah would be just the fourth USMNT player to reach 30 caps before their 21st birthday. Only Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic and Landon Donovan have previously hit 30 caps before age 21.
• Seven players are on clubs currently taking part in the UEFA Champions League: Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven); Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic (AC Milan); Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Cameron Carter Vickers (Celtic), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund).
• Seven players on the roster have found the back of the net for the USMNT in 2023: Ricardo Pepi (6), Christian Pulisic (4), Brenden Aaronson (2), Folarin Balogun (2), Weston McKennie (2), Chris Richards (1), Tim Weah (1)
• Thirteen players are products of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy: Brenden Aaronson, Luca de la Torre, Ethan Horvath, Weston McKennie, Kevin Paredes, Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Joe Scally, Tim Weah and Alex Zendejas.
• Ten players are products of Major League Soccer Academies. The FC Dallas quartet of Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Chris Richards and Alex Zendejad lead the way, following Gio Reyna and Joe Scally (New York City FC), Brenden Aaronson (Philaldephia Union), Kevin Paredes (D.C. United) and Tim Weah (New York Red Bulls).

USA-GERMANY NOTES

• There are a host of club teammates who will square off Saturday in Hartford:
  • U.S. midfielder Gio Reyna, who plays for Borussia Dortmund, will face off against four members of his club team - defenders Mats Hummels and Niklas Süle, midfielder Julian Brandt and forward Niclas Füllkrug.
  • U.S defender Tim Ream faces Fulham teammate and goalkeeper Bernd Leno
  • The duo of Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic partner with Malick Thiaw at AC Milan
  • Brenden Aaronson lines up with Kevin Behrens at Union Berlin
• The U.S. has a 4-7-0 record against Germany in several memorable results. The teams met for the first time at the U.S. Cup in Chicago on June 13, 1993, with the European side registering a 4-3 win. Karlheinz Riedle struck for a hat-trick while former USMNT head coach Jurgen Klinsmann added one goal for the Germans. Thomas Dooley bagged a brace and Earnie Stewart added a goal for the USA.
• In 1998 they met in the World Cup for the first time in Paris, France. Germany posted a 2-0 triumph on June 15, 1998, behind goals from Andreas Möller and Klinsmann.
• In one of Bruce Arena's early games as USMNT head coach, the Americans collected their first victory in the series – a 3-0 friendly victory in Jacksonville, Fla. on Feb. 6, 1999, as Jovan Kirovski, Tony Sanneh and Claudio Reyna scored within a 10-minute span in the opening half.
• In what is likely to be the most famous confrontation between the two teams, Germany eked out a 1-0 win in the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup in Ulsan, South Korea. Michael Ballack scored the lone goal in the 39th minute. Torsten Frings saved a shot off the line with his hand by current USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. No infraction was called.
• The U.S. surprised the Germans with a 4-3 victory in a Washington, D.C. friendly at RFK Stadium in the U.S. Soccer Centennial Celebration Match on June 2, 2013, as Clint Dempsey recorded a brace. Jozy Altidore added another tally, and the visitors scored an own goal.
• In the teams’ third World Cup encounter, Germany secured a 1-0 group stage win in Recife, Brazil on June 26, 2014, on Thomas Müller’s 55^th-minute score.
• In their most recent engagement, Bobby Wood's 87th-minute goal lifted the USA to a 2-1 win in Cologne, Germany on June 10, 2015, Germany. Mario Götze gave the hosts the lead, but Mix Diskerud leveled in the 41st minute.

IN FOCUS: GERMANY

GERMANY OF LATE

The hosts of the 2024 UEFA Championship have struggled to a 2-4-1 mark in seven friendlies this year, despite playing six home matches. The team started 2023 on an optimistic note, blanking Peru, 2-0, behind Niclas Füllkrug’s brace in Mainz on March 25. Three days later, the Germans went down to a 3-2 defeat to Belgium in Cologne, as Füllkrug and Serge Gnabry scored.

June was not kind to the Germans, finishing winless at 0-2-1. They played Ukraine to a 3-3 draw in Bremen on June 12, escaping with a tie, on Joshua Kimmich's penalty kick a minute into second-half stoppage time. Füllkrug and Kai Havertz scored. They then were shut out twice within a four-day span. the first match was a 1-0 loss at Poland in Warsaw, on June 16, the second game was a 2-0 defeat to Colombia in Gelsenkirchen on June 20.

The winless streak reached five games in a 4-1 loss to Japan in Wolfsburg on Sept. 9. Leroy Sané scored a first-half equalizer, but the Asian side struck twice late in the match to pull away. Germany broke the skid with a 2-1 win over France in Dortmund on Sept. 12, finding the net early and late. Thomas Müller scored in the fourth minute, Sané in the 87th minute.

GERMANY ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS):

GOALKEEPERS (4): Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim; 0/0), Bernd Leno (Fulham/ENG; 9/0), Marc-André ter Stegen (Barcelona/ESP; 36/0), Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt; 7/0)

DEFENDERS (7): Robin Gosens (Union Berlin; 18/2), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund; 76/5), David Raum (RB Leipzig; 18/2), Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid/ESP; 62/2), Niklas Süle (Borussia Dortmund; 47/1), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen; 17/0), Malick Thiaw (AC Milan/ITA; 2/0)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen; 0/0), Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund; 44/3), Chris Führich (VfB Stuttgart; 0/0), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich; 45/14), Pascal Gross (Brighton/ENG; 2.0), İlkay Gündoğan (Barcelona/ESP; 2/0), Jonas Hofmann (Bayer Leverkusen; 22/4), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich; 80/6), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich; 23/1), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen; 10/0)

FORWARDS (5): Leroy Sané (Bayern Munich; 55/13), Kevin Behrens (Union Berlin; 0/0), Niclas Füllkrug (Borussia Dortmund; 9/7), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG; 39/13), Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich; 123/45)

NEW MANAGER AT THE HELM

At 36, Julian Nagelsmann is one of the youngest national team coaches in the game. On Sept. 22, he was named to succeed Hansi Flick. Nagelsmann also became the second youngest national team coach in German history (Otto Nerz was the youngest at 34, when he was appointed in 1926). Nagelsmann, will make his international coaching debut against the USMNT.

Nagelsmann became the youngest coach in Bundesliga history when he took over the Hoffenheim reins at the age of 28 in 2016. He managed the club through 2018, finishing third in the league and reaching the UEFA Champions League. He was named head coach at RB Leipzig in 2018, guiding the side to the UCL semifinals, losing to Paris Saint-Germain, 3-0. After leading Leipzig to the DFB-Pokal final in 2021, Nagelsmann was appointed head coach at Bayern Munich. He directed Bayern to the 2022 Bundesliga crown before he was fired this past March.

As a center back, Nagelsmann played for FC Issing, FC Augsburg and 1860 Munich.

ROSTER NOTES:

• Most of the roster is domestic based, with 19 players from Bundesliga teams.
• Perennial powerhouse Bayern Munich is the most represented club team with five players, followed by Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, with four apiece.
• Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller is no stranger to U.S. fans, having scored in the 1-0 win against the USA in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup. Müller, the oldest player on the squad at 34, also is the top goal-scorer with 45 in 123 international matches.
• Niclas Füllkrug has scored seven goals in nine international matches, including four this year.
• Barcelona midfielder İlkay Gündoğan (17 goals in 69 appearances) captains the side.
• Midfielder Florian Wirtz, 20, is the youngest player on the team.
• Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich, Stuttgart winger Chris Führich and Union Berlin forward Kevin Behrens are in line to earn their first caps.
• In an unusual move, Nagelsmann decided to bring four goalkeepers to the United States. Barcelona’s Marc-André ter Stegen has the most experience in the back with 36 appearances.