USMNT vs. Germany: Top Storylines and Predictions for 2023 Friendly

The U.S. Men's National Team is on a 13-match winning streak. Can they keep that up Saturday against a perennial FIFA powerhouse?

The USMNT will take on Germany at 3 p.m. ET in an international Friendly in East Hartford, Connecticut.

Head coach Gregg Berhalter announced the 23-player training camp roster for today's match and an upcoming contest against Ghana October 5 in Nashville. The full roster can be found here.

Available players include captain Christian Pulisic, Player of the Tournament during the U.S. 2023 CONCACAF Nations League title win; Ricardo Pepi, striker for the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, who leads USMNT with six goals this year; and a newly healthy Gio Reyna, who has been limited by injury since June.

Here's a few storylines to watch for Saturday at Rentschler Field.

Berhalter was re-hired by U.S. Soccer in June, half a year after the team allowed his contract to expire following controversy involving the family of Gio Reyna.

Reyna's parents, who had reportedly previously complained about their son's USMNT playing time, reported an alleged past domestic violence incident involving Berhalter to the USMNT. That report led to Berhalter's six-month split from U.S. Soccer.

With Reyna returning to the national team for the first time after suffering a leg injury in June, the two are set to be reunited for the first time since the incident.

Berhalter told reporters Thursday he and Reyna had spoken "weeks ago" on Zoom, and that the "conversation was positive," per USA Today's Jason Anderson.

"I was really just appreciative of the conversation," Berhalter said. "Having said that, acknowledging that, I think it will take time."

"There is a difference between a Zoom call and being in person. I think that both intentions are positive, and the idea is that we work together for the team to be successful. I think we're both prepared to do that. I think that, although it may take some time, we're both aligned with what we want to accomplish."

Winger Tim Weah told CBS Sports' "Morning Footy" (h/t USA Today) that having Berhalter and Reyna back was like getting "those two missing pieces to the puzzle."

What kind of playing time Reyna gets against Germany remains to be seen. He spent his last four matches with Dortmund on the bench. The relationship between him and his coach as USMNT navigates his return from injury will be worth keeping an eye on.

It's been a long time since the USMNT has lost.

The team's 13-game undefeated streak dates back to January 25, when the squad suffered a 2-1 defeat to Serbia.

What's more, the team's last two wins were dominant ones. In a pair of international friendlies back in mid-September, the USMNT shut out Uzbekistan (3-0) and Oman (4-0) in a span of four days.

Of the 23-man roster available for those games, 19 of the same players are back on the roster against Germany.

The team will try to ride that momentum as they attempt to defeat a club they have historically struggled against. The USMNT holds a 4-7-0 all-time record against Germany, although the Americans claimed victory when the two teams last met with a 2-1 win over the defending World Cup champions in June 2015.

UMSNT starting left back Antonee Robinson, who played against Uzbekistan but not Oman last month, will not be playing again Saturday due to injury precaution.

Robinson is dealing with early signs of "the onset of a sports hernia," Berhalter told reporters Thursday, per Anderson.

Midfielder Malik Tillman will also be absent after his club, PSV, announced he had suffered an injury Sunday.

The returns of Reyna and of Cameron Carter-Vickers, who was sidelined for two months after suffering a hamstring injury in August, will hopefully help USMNT bolster their roster in the absence of these two players.

FIFA No. 11 USMNT has a chance to earn a rare win against No. 15 Germany this weekend.

This will be the international debut for new Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 36-year-old became one of the youngest men's national team coaches in his country's history when he was named to the helm of the team September 22.

Prior to Nagelsmann's tenure, Germany held just a 2-4-1 record in seven friendly competitions this season, including a five-game winless streak.

While Germany adjusts to their first international competition with a new coach, USMNT veterans already know what to expect from Berhalter. That could potentially give the team an edge as they fight for victory in Connecticut.