USMNT Closes Camp vs Germany at Soldier Field June 6
6/2/2026
The U.S. Men's National Team closes its pre-tournament camp on Saturday, June 6, hosting Germany at Soldier Field in the second and final Coca-Cola Send-Off Match before the FIFA World Cup 2026 opens five days later. Kickoff is 1:30 p.m. CT in Chicago, with gates opening at 11:30 a.m. local time, per the venue. The match arrives less than a week after the United States edged Senegal 3-2 in Charlotte, and U.S. Soccer has reported the Soldier Field date is sold out. It is the last live audit Mauricio Pochettino's staff gets before the host nation steps into the bracket.
For the road to 2026, this matters because camp openings in late May and early June are the last chance to integrate late inclusions, and the clock on selection is shorter than it appears. Pochettino has named a 26-player squad, and the final friendly is where rotations, defensive shape, and set-piece work meet a credible opponent at full intensity. Germany, a four-time world champion now coached by Julian Nagelsmann, is the most demanding test the United States will face before the host-nation group stage begins.
What Germany Brings to Chicago
Germany enters the date inside the top 10 of FIFA's ranking and was drawn into Group E alongside Curacao, Cote d'Ivoire, and Ecuador, according to U.S. Soccer's opponent profile. Nagelsmann, appointed in September 2023 at 36 years old, is the second-youngest head coach in the program's history and inherited a side rebuilding from a difficult 2022 tournament. Captain Joshua Kimmich brings 108 caps into the match, with Arsenal striker Kai Havertz and Bayern Munich playmaker Jamal Musiala carrying the attacking burden. The U.S. Men's National Team historically sits at four wins and eight losses against Germany since 1993, including a 3-1 defeat in 2023 after Christian Pulisic's early opener.
Pochettino's Last Live Audit
Pochettino said the chosen group represents his best read of the available pool. "We are confident this is the best group of 26 players to help us achieve success at the World Cup," he said in the U.S. Soccer roster release, adding that "these were very difficult decisions." Thirteen players carry over from the 2022 squad, including Pulisic, captain Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, and Matt Turner. Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady becomes the first uncapped player named to a U.S. World Cup roster since 1994, a detail that lands with extra weight given the city hosting the match.
The Soldier Field Setting
Soldier Field is staging its 18th U.S. Men's National Team match since 1973, and the venue holds particular historical weight against this specific opponent. The first United States versus Germany meeting on American soil took place at Soldier Field in 1994 during that tournament's group stage, a 4-3 result that Germany took home. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. local time, parking lots at 9:30 a.m., and the lakefront venue sits at 1410 Special Olympics Drive on the museum campus, where rates flex with the day's scheduled activities. Travelers booking late are working tight hotel inventory around the museum campus, and rideshare into Burnham Park runs heavy on event days.
Broadcast, Streaming, and the Road to SoFi
Pochettino said the date is also a chance to push the squad against elite opposition. "For us, this is a massive opportunity to challenge ourselves against some of the top teams in the world," he told Yahoo Sports. Broadcast is split between TBS and HBO Max in English and Telemundo, Universo, and Peacock in Spanish, per the U.S. Soccer Players preview of the match. Cord-cutters tracking the buildup may prefer the streaming bundles, while traditional cable subscribers can settle in for the TBS feed, and our how to watch the World Cup 2026 in the United States hub catalogs the carriage for every group-stage U.S. match too.
What the Germany date is not is the opener. The United States begins its tournament on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the start of the USMNT path through the 2026 World Cup as the host nation. Saturday's outcome will frame public mood entering that opening night and will likely settle two or three of Pochettino's lineup arguments. Supporters planning to follow the team across host cities are already stitching together hotel blocks, rail bookings, and intercity flights, since the Los Angeles, Seattle, and return-to-Los Angeles leg compresses inside a tight calendar window. The Soldier Field result will not, on its own, change the bracket geography, but it is the last evidence anyone gets before the live tournament data begins.
Sources
- U.S. Soccer: Pochettino Names 26-Player Roster for FIFA World Cup 2026
- U.S. Soccer: USMNT Opponent Profile, Germany
- Soldier Field: USA vs. Germany Event Page
- Yahoo Sports: Soldier Field to host USMNT send-off match before World Cup
- U.S. Soccer Players: Preview of USMNT 2026 World Cup Warm-Up Friendlies