The RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. will host the USA vs Germany Friendly to be held on Sunday, June 2, 2013 at 11:30 AM Pacific. The USMNT is coming off a mid-week friendly against Belgium, where they were outclassed and outscored on a 4-2 loss. Against Germany, they will face another tough opponent that should keep the USA squad busy.
The USA vs Germany friendly match will be a great test for Klinsmann’s squad, which should focus on the level of play, rather than the final outcome of the game. The USMNT has lacked offense in its first 3 CONCACAF qualifying matches, scoring just 2 goals. However, it is important to note that one game was played in a blizzard in Colorado, the other two at the Estadio Azteca and in Honduras. Nonetheless, Klinsmann’s squad has struggled offensively since Donovan “took a break”, and needs to show that it’s ready for the upcoming qualifiers.
Germany isn’t going to show up with it’s best side, several of their key players are resting from their appearance in their respective European league matches. However, Germany’s B squad is probably better than your typical CONCACAF team. In fact, the squad the USMNT will face defeated Ecuador 4-2 in a friendly match held this past Wednesday. Even without their key players, and playing an away game, Germany is definitely the favorite to win the USA vs Germany friendly.
What Klinsmann needs from the USA vs Germany friendly
The USMNT’s defense had a very bad day when it played Belgium, allowing 4 goals. The US was torn apart by Belgium’s speedy attackers, which had a field day against the sluggish American defense. This must be a bit worrying for Klinsmann, given that the USMNT’s next three qualifying rivals are Jamaica, Panama and Honduras. All three teams rely on speedy counterattacking as the basis of their attacks. Although the CONCACAF sides are not nearly as talented as Belgium, the quick attacking style is similar. The USA vs Germany match will provide another opponent with quick attackers.
USA vs Belgium Highlights:
In the USA vs Germany friendly, the USMNT will once again face another team with speedy strikers. Klinsmann needs to see progress in his defense, it definitely can’t allow another 4 goals. Furthermore, although friendly matches have nothing at stake, the USMNT might face a bit of a morale drop of it were to get blown out of the water again.
Thus, the main takeaway for the USA vs Germany Soccer match should be the USMNT’s improvement on defending speedy attackers. Due to the superiority of the German team and the danger of their attackers, it’s unlikely that we will see much from the US on the attacking side. However, if the US can defend well against Germany it would provide a huge morale boost for the USMNT’s upcoming match against Jamaica.
USA vs Germany Prediction
Germany is a great team that will attempt to add a second win to its trip to the Americas. The USA will try to focus on improving its defense, which had a ghastly display against Belgium. Germany will likely keep control of the ball and dominate the match, the USMNT will defend and attempt counterattacking plays. In the end, the USA vs Germany friendly will end in a 2-0 victory for the Germans. Their squad possesses too much talent (even with several key players missing) to lose against a USMNT that has struggled offensively lately.
USA vs Germany Television Coverage
The USA vs Germany match will be televised on Sunday, June 2, 2013 (11:30 AM Pacific) on several channels: ESPN 2, Unimas and ESPN 3.
What are your thoughts on the USA vs Germany match, will the USMNT be ready for the upcoming qualifiers?
