The U.S. Men’s National Team is set to conclude its preparations for this summer’s FIFA World Cup with a visit from four-time champions, Germany.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will host Julian Nagelsmann’s team at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday before all eyes turn to their World Cup opener against Paraguay on June 12.

However, this final friendly represents another excellent opportunity for the USMNT to test themselves against premier opposition, as they did on Sunday by beating recently dethroned Africa Cup of Nations champions, Senegal, 3-2.

But for one player, this game may mean more than most, with midfielder Malik Tillman a U.S.-German dual-national. Born and raised in Germany, the Bayer Leverkusen star is eligible to play for the USMNT thanks to his father being American, although most of his international experience prior to joining the senior team came via Germany’s youth sides.

Ultimately, Tillman opted to represent the USMNT after a discussion with now-former head coach Gregg Berhalter. “I spoke to Gregg back then,” he explained on Thursday, adding, “He told me about his plan, about the plan of his team, and I just saw myself as part of his plan, and that's why I chose the U.S.”

Now a 29-time international and a three-time goal scorer, Tillman admitted Saturday’s game will be an “emotional” one for him.

“It's amazing. More or less, I've been waiting for this game,” he said. “Obviously, it will be very special for me, but also for my family. It's going to be a great game. It may be very emotional as well.”

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Looking at it from a broader perspective ahead of a home World Cup, Tillman said, “It's going to be a good test. Of course, we're going there to win, but most importantly is to get some good minutes, play the way we want to play, and end this pre-camp, I would say, in a good way.”

But it isn’t just Tillman who has ties to Saturday’s opponents, with Borussia Mönchengladbach right back Joe Scally set to take on plenty of familiar faces.

“It’s special. I played against pretty much all these guys in my time in Germany, so for me it feels a little bit special, of course,” he admitted. “It means maybe a bit more to me than maybe the other guys just because I see these guys in club on different teams on the weekends. So it's a special game, and I’m excited.”

Along with Tillman and Scally, Gio Reyna also currently calls the Bundesliga home, while Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, and Ricardo Pepi have also all previously plied their trades in the German top tier.

Once this final friendly has concluded, the USMNT can then begin preparations in earnest for their three upcoming group games, starting with Paraguay and followed by Australia and Türkiye.

Source: Alloutsoccer.com