Lothar Matthäus Critiques USA’s World Cup Preparations, Compares to Past Eras

Record international Lothar Matthäus humorously commented on the conditions surrounding the German national team’s World Cup dress rehearsal on Saturday evening.

The focus was on the very dull turf at Soldier Field in Chicago, where Germany secured a 2-1 victory (1-1) against co-host USA in their final warm-up match before the 2026 World Cup.

As Matthäus revealed during the post-match coverage on RTL, match-winner Leroy Sané had complained about the poor playing surface just minutes earlier. «The ball is slower, it doesn’t run as well on the grass,» Matthäus explained the issue.

The 1990 World Cup winner couldn’t believe that the pitch had been watered «with a garden hose» before the match. «My parents did that 50 or 60 years ago. They’re still doing it here today,» Matthäus quipped. «This makes the game slower, the ball movement slower. The team has to adapt to cope with different surfaces at this World Cup.»

Kai Havertz Expresses Concern for the World Cup: «It Was Too Long»

Earlier on Saturday evening (German time), Kai Havertz had put the DFB team ahead in the second minute, with the FC Arsenal forward heading in a free-kick from Joshua Kimmich.

Havertz was not impressed with the pre-match ceremony, during which each of the 26 players in the USA’s World Cup squad was extensively introduced. «It was a bit too long, honestly,» the 26-year-old grumbled to RTL. «I don’t know if it will be the same for the World Cup matches. You have to prepare for it.»

After a dominant start by Havertz and his teammates, the USA gradually gained more possession from the middle of the first half and were rewarded with a spectacular equalizer from Antonee Robinson in the 37th minute. Germany regained control after halftime, and Sané scored the goal that sealed the 2-1 final score just before the hour mark.

DFB Team Kicks Off World Cup 2026 in Houston

The World Cup campaign for Bundestrainer Julian Nagelsmann’s team begins on June 14th in Houston with the opening match against Curacao. The second group game against Ivory Coast will take place on June 20th in Toronto, Canada, before facing Ecuador in New York/New Jersey on June 25th to conclude the group stage.

In contrast to the two test matches against Finland (4-0) and the USA (2-1), Manuel Neuer is set to start in goal for Germany against Curacao, rather than Oliver Baumann. The FC Bayern goalkeeper has famously returned to the national team for the upcoming World Cup finals but has been unable to play so far due to a calf injury.

However, once the team settles into their World Cup base in Winston-Salem on Monday, Neuer will «join team training, as planned, and then play against Curacao,» Nagelsmann emphasized.

Germany’s Squad for the 2026 World Cup