Defensive Concerns Loom Large

The USMNT is Dealing With a Leaky Defense Heading into the World Cup

The U.S. has now conceded 11 goals in four matches this year, and the back line that will be asked to carry this team deep into a home World Cup remains its most unsettling question mark.

Both goals against Germany illustrated the problem. Kai Havertz's second-minute header came from a free kick in which he was left completely uncovered, catching Matthew Freese flat-footed on his line. The second, just before the hour mark, saw Havertz slip a pass into a seam between Tim Ream and Miles Robinson, where Leroy Sané finished calmly beyond Freese's diving reach.

"There were times where you can see the eagerness in the team to go and press," Antonee Robinson acknowledged, "and at times we were a little bit disjointed in how we pressed. That's what good teams like Germany want you to do."

Compounding matters is the uncertain status of Chris Richards, who tore two ankle ligaments late in the Premier League season and sat out Saturday. Ream called him "a commanding center back and someone who's been relied on heavily over the past 18 months," and his absence, even temporarily, exposes just how thin the margin for error is defensively.

The U.S. also hasn't kept a clean sheet in eight matches. Against Paraguay, Australia, and Türkiye, they won't face Germany-level firepower. But they'll need to be better. Their World Cup run depends on it.