Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in the app, from kickoff to the trophy lift.CHICAGO — Whether it’s a long-term frustration that boiled over Saturday or perhaps a bit of gamesmanship toward referees ahead of the World Cup, U.S. national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino isn’t happy about the whistle his team is getting.The United States fell to Germany 2-1 at Soldier Field in its final pre-World Cup friendly, and things got tense deep in second-half stoppage time. For Pochettino, his irritations had been building not only throughout the game but also throughout his tenure as USMNT head coach.“For 1 1/2 years, every time we play games, it’s like the referee always forgets we are the United States,” Pochettino said.In stoppage time Saturday, winger Tim Weah was on the receiving end of a tough challenge or two, so he returned the favor and delivered a clean — but hard — slide tackle in the dying moments of the friendly.The German players didn’t take that too kindly, with minutes separating them from their own World Cup journey. This is a team that lost Lennart Karl from the roster due to injury this week. It didn’t want to risk another.
Timothy Weah hits a slide tackle and tempers flare after Germany takes exception. #USMNT | #InternationalFriendlies pic.twitter.com/nWBRCpqNg9
