USMNT to host high-profile friendlies against Germany and Ghana in October

CHICAGO – The U.S. Men’s National Team will host four-time World Cup champion Germany and Ghana in two high-profile friendly matches this October in preparation for its quarterfinal matches in the Concacaf Nations League the following month.

The U.S. first faces Germany on Oct. 14 in East Hartford, Conn. Kickoff from Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is set for 3 p.m. ET and the match will be available live on Warner Bros. Discovery platforms, Telemundo and Peacock. Three days later, the USA takes on The Black Stars in its first visit to GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tenn. The match will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET and be available on Warner Bros. Discovery platforms, Universo and Peacock.

Germany boasts talent from some of the top clubs in Europe and are preparing to host the 2024 UEFA Championship. Ghana has twice knocked the United States out of World Cups (2006, 2010) and will be seeking their first win on U.S. soil in the all-time series.

FACING THE GERMAN GIANTS

While the USMNT holds a 4-7-0 record against the four-time World Cup champs, the team has been successful in two of the last three matches. The USA defeated Die Mannschaft 4-3 in U.S. Soccer’s Centennial Celebration Match on June 2, 2013, in Washington, D.C. Two years later in Cologne, Germany, a late game-winner from Bobby Wood lifted the USA to a 2-1 win on June 10, 2015 — less than a year after they captured the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The teams have also met three times in World Cup competition, with the USA falling 2-1 in 1998 before the Germans ended the USA’s farthest run in a World Cup in 72 years by snatching a 1-0 win in the quarterfinal of the 2002 tournament. The U.S. also narrowly surrendered a 1-0 win in the last match of group play during Germany’s run to the 2014 World Cup title.

ALL EVEN AGAINST THE BLACK STARS

Having met four times in their history, the series is perfectly split with each side collecting two wins with matching 2-1 score lines. Remarkably, three of the four meetings have taken place in World Cups, with Ghana getting the edge in the 2006 and 2010 while the USA snatched the opening group game in 2014 in Brazil. Most recently, first-time goal scorers Kellyn Acosta and Dom Dwyer along with a penalty save by goalkeeper Brad Guzan lifted the USA to a 2-1 win on July 1, 2017, in Hartford – the same venue of the upcoming Germany game. Always one of the top contenders in African football, Ghana has qualified for four of the past five World Cups.

HOME SWEET HOME

While the USMNT will play at the sparkling new GEODIS Park for the first time, the team is no stranger to Hartford or Nashville.

Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field has played host to USMNT games seven times since 2005. The U.S. collected a 1-0 shutout win at the venue against Trinidad and Tobago during final round qualifying for the 2006 World Cup with Brian McBride notching the game winner. The stadium also hosted a World Cup Send-Off match (2006), a Gold Cup group stage game (2013) and Landon Donovan’s last match for the United States (2014). Overall, the USA is 4-1-2 at the stadium and 5-1-2 in Hartford overall.

Nashville has a similar history as the USMNT has compiled a 4-2-2 record in Music City across multiple competitions. In 2009, a 19-year-old Jozy Altidore became the youngest U.S. player to score a hat-trick in the 3-0 win against Trinidad & Tobago in World Cup Qualifying. In 2018, Tyler Adams netted his first career international goal in the 1-0 shutout against rivals Mexico, and a year later a Weston McKennie goal plus two from Christian Pulisic paced the U.S. to a 3-1 win against Jamaica in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal.