Mauricio Pochettino reacts after USA’s narrow loss to Germany before World Cup Kickoff

United States men's national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has praised his players' resilience and determination after they suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany in their final friendly before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The match, played at Soldier Field in Chicago, provided a stern test for the tournament co-hosts against one of the favourites for the title.

Germany made a dream start to the contest when Kai Havertz headed home a Joshua Kimmich free-kick just two minutes after kickoff, putting the visitors in front.

However, the Americans responded positively and found a way back into the game through Antonee Robinson, who restored parity with a well-taken goal.

The match remained finely balanced until Leroy Sané struck in the 57th minute to hand Germany victory and leave the hosts with work to do ahead of their World Cup opener.

Despite the defeat, Pochettino was pleased with his side's display against elite opposition.

"Overall, I think it was a good performance. I am happy with the performance of everyone. We played one of the most important teams in the world," Pochettino told reporters after the game.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager insisted the result should not overshadow the positives his team showed throughout the encounter.

He added, "I think we need to be happy with that. We competed, we were unlucky, I think it was an even game.

"It was an amazing challenge for us to see how we react, how we show character, how we show togetherness, how we start to play under pressure."

The Argentine coach admitted the demanding workload may have impacted his players physically but believes the preparation will prove beneficial during the tournament.

"We were demanding a lot from the players in the last two weeks. I've seen us overload the players and the team.

"Now we have to assess the load and be intelligent in the way that we are going to arrive to the Paraguay game, in the best condition, fresh with energy,” Pochettino explained.

The United States will now shift its focus to the start of its World Cup campaign, with a Group D clash against Paraguay scheduled for June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.