USA vs Germany score, highlights, result as Pulisic stunner undone by USMNT errors

Kyle Bonn

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USA vs Germany score, highlights, result as Pulisic stunner undone by USMNT errors image

RENTSCHLER FIELD, HARTFORD — At half-time of a wide-open game against a European giant, it appeared the United States just might be able to hang with Germany if they can shore up a few defensive issues. A Christian Pulisic stunner provided the goods, and they were level despite an Ilkay Gundogan equalizer.

After the break, it all fell apart, making it clear there remains a significant gulf between the United States and those at the top of the global football food chain.

Germany ran away as 3-1 winners behind second-half goals from Niklas Fullkrug and Jamal Musiala, as the Europeans asserted their dominance in Julian Nagelsmann's debut as head coach.

The United States attack troubled the Germans on multiple occasions, but the match was too open for them to handle at the back. Germany's counter-attack, run by Musiala and Leroy Sane, was devastating and left the U.S. defenders exposed by multiple mental errors.

Pulisic, even aside from his goal, was the best U.S. player on the field, with Tim Weah strong in support on the opposite flank. Yet the likes of Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, and Chris Richards struggled to stop the waves of German attacking pressure that eventually broke the U.S. down.

MORE: Run through USA player ratings from The Sporting News after the 3-1 defeat to Germany

The Sporting News is LIVE from Rentschler Field, following the USA vs. Germany match as it happens, providing score updates, commentary and highlights throughout the game as well as prematch lead-up and postgame coverage.

USA vs Germany final score

  Score Goalscorers
USA 1 Pulisic (27')
Germany 3 Gundogan (39'),
Fullkrug (58'),
Musiala (61')

Starting lineups:

USA (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Turner (GK) — 19. Scally, 4. Richards (Carter-Vickers, 66'), 13. Ream, 2. Dest — 7. Reyna (de la Torre, 46'), 6. Musah, 8. McKennie (Cardoso, 75') — 21. Weah (Aaronson, 66'), 20. Balogun (Pepi, 66'), 10. Pulisic (Paredes, 75').

Germany (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Ter Stegen (GK) — 4. Tah, 2. Rudiger, 5. Hummels (Sule, 62'), 20. Gosens — 16. Gross (Goretzka, 71'), 21. Gundogan — 19. Sane (Brandt, 71'), 14. Musiala (Fuhrich, 80'), 10. Wirtz (Havertz, 62') — 9. Fullkrug (Muller, 80').

MORE: A breakdown of the full USMNT squad for October friendlies vs Germany and Ghana

USA vs Germany post-match coverage, quotes

Matt Turner bemoans "little moments" which linger from World Cup exit

U.S. goalkeeper Matt Turner did not mince words after the defeat. While he acknowledged that they did some "good things" in the attack to trouble Germany, the defensive errors stuck in his mind.

"It's frustrating because it's little moments," Turner said to the media after the match. "Little moments could have made a big difference for us in the World Cup, and it's kinda like the same story. It kind of had the same feel as that Netherlands game now that I think about it, where the game was defined by small moments and inches of detail."

Defender Tim Ream agreed. "Now that you mention it, yeah," Ream said when asked if he thought this result was similar to the defeat to the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Tim Ream believes U.S. has a "lot of work to do" to reach Germany's level

While the United States showed a quality up front in moments of chance creation, defender Tim Ream wasn't satisfied with just the positives from the defeat to Germany.

When asked what he learned about the U.S. from this match, he replied with a simple sentence. "That we have a lot of work to do."

"There's still a lot of things we can do better, a lot of things we can work on to compete for 90 minutes and not just 45 minutes."

Yet Ream isn't taking anything away from the opponent. When asked why Germany was able to assert its dominance on the U.S. midfield, Ream was similarly succinct. "They're good players, people tend to forget that. It's not just us out there, you're playing against a very high-level opponent, guys that play at Champions League-caliber clubs, and you have to take that into account."

Christian Pulisic agreed, saying in defense of the full-backs, "There's only so much you can do to defend when Leroy Sane is sprinting at you, we need to better as a team to avoid getting in situations like that, you have to stop it before it starts."

Weston McKennie wants team to avoid "letting go of the gas"

U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie was proud of the first half where the U.S. reached the break level at 1-1, but was frustrated with the drop in play after halftime.

"I think we started off strong in the first half, but I think they went into halftime and figured out ways they could hurt us more, and I think we might have let go of the gas at the beginning of the second half."

Tim Weah had a similar assessment, saying "The first half I thought was better, but in the second half it kind of died out. We have to figure out how to manage better these stronger teams, but I think it's something to build on, you always learn from your losses."

Discussing the waves of German pressure in the second half, Weah chalked it up to a need for minutes against teams like this moving forward. "In a situation like that, experience plays a part," Weah said, "I feel like at times we needed to block and stay in front of them, and not let them run through the middle."

USA vs Germany live updates, highlights, commentary

FULLTIME: USA 1-3 Germany

As promising as the first half was, the U.S. were clearly second-best after the break. Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala carved up the U.S. back line on multiple occasions, and the USMNT midfield was too scattered to help. A humbling 45 minutes proves that while the United States has the skill to compete with most of the world, they are still growing as a footballing nation.

USA vs Germany: Second Half

90+1 min: Brenden Aaronson, who has been very bright since coming off the bench, deftly wins a foul just outside the penalty area in a central position as Antonio Rudiger gives him a bit of a shove in the back. Aaronson stands over the set-piece as the U.S. try a very odd training ground routine, but it's blasted into the wall and comes to nothing.

Two minutes of added time are shown.

87th min: The game has ground to a bit of a halt after all the substitutions, but the Germans remain active in front, forcing the U.S. to defend in stretches. Niklas Sule tries an audacious volley from a long way out but it loops over the crossbar.

79th min: Chance, USA! Ricardo Pepi nearly profits from a terrible German mistake, latching onto a miserable back-pass by Leon Goretzka in his own penalty area, but he's dispossessed on the spot before he can get a shot off! Johnny Cardoso and Brenden Aaronson try to poke it on frame, but the ball is cleared!

Niklas Fullkrug is brought off for Thomas Muller, which gets a big hand from the crowd. Jamal Musiala is also brought off in favor of Chris Fuhrich, and both managers have now used their final substitutions.

78th min: Brenden Aaronson dazzles by getting by Robin Gosens and Antonio Rudiger, but is dispossessed right at the last moment.

A sellout crowd of 37,743 is announced, which the P.A. announcer makes known is the largest soccer crowd in this venue's history.

74th min: The Germans smell blood in the water and have begun to press the U.S. into oblivion. It takes a million passes just to get out of their own defensive third, before Weston McKennie makes a horrible central pass that's turned over, but the eventual shot is fired way over the bar.

That's McKennie's last action of the match, as Johnny Cardoso enters in his place, while Christian Pulisic is replaced by Kevin Paredes. Those are the final substitutions available to Gregg Berhalter.

70th min: Chance, Germany! Leroy Sane misses a wide-open chance! Jamal Musiala gets on his horse down the left and gets by Joe Scally, and as he reaches the by-line he delivers a vicious cut-back to Sane at the penalty spot all by himself, but his low shot whizzes millimeters by the left post!

Germany make more changes, with Sane brought off for Julian Brandt and Pascal Gross replaced by Leon Goretzka.

66th min: Gregg Berhalter makes a triple change, bringing on Cameron Carter-Vickers, Ricardo Pepi, and Brenden Aaronson to replace Chris Richards, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Weah. Those all feel like pre-planned changes by the U.S. for one reason or another.

61st min: GOAL! GERMANY! The U.S. are punished again for more disastrous defending, and this one is the worst of the lot. Everyone just stands around and watches as Jamal Musiala dances around and gets free on goal, and while Matt Turner comes out to make a save on Niklas Fullkrug, he deftly touches to Musiala with Tim Ream late to recognize he'd shaded towards goal.

After the goal, Germany withdraw Mats Hummels and Florian Wirtz, bringing on Niklas Sule and Kai Havertz.

60th min: Chance, USA! Yunus Musah heads just over the crossbar off a corner! That's not far!

58th min: GOAL! GERMANY! The U.S. back line is carved to pieces, and Niklas Fullkrug punishes the chaotic defending! Robin Gosens delivers a beautiful ball to the German striker who's through on goal, and while it looked as if he was offside on the feed, Sergino Dest is lollygagging on the far side to play him on. That's a bad goal to concede, but take nothing away from the vision of Gosens to see it!

57th min: Yunus Musah is the first American booked as he drags back Florian Wirtz in midfield with a bear hug.

55th min: Goodness gracious, the U.S. nearly get caught way too high up the field, and Sergino Dest gets away with another mistake. Dest is the only defender back covering a two-on-one, and he nearly picks out Florian Wirtz's underhit switch to Leroy Sane, but somehow comes up empty.

Dest makes up for it, however, by shielding Sane from having a hit on goal while the U.S. defense recovers, and the chance is lost.

53rd min: Ilkay Gundogan wants a second, but blasts this one miles over the crossbar. Sergino Dest did well to defend Leroy Sane, but he can't quite dispossess the German winger who does manage to get in a cross, which Matt Turner parries with a dive. It's pushed way out to Gundogan at the top of the 18-yard box, but he lashes at the chance and sends it into the hazy Hartford sky.

49th min: Chance, Germany! Matt Turner saves again, and this one might be the best of the bunch! He protects his near post strongly as a shot was destined to tuck inside the woodwork!

47th min: Chance, USA! We're right back to the end-to-end play! Christian Pulisic's cross to the mouth of goal is agonizingly out of Folarin Balogun's reach! The U.S. nearly take full advantage of Germany missing out on the other end.

46th min: Chance, Germany! Matt Turner immediately called into action! Niklas Fullkrug has a go on the volley which deflects into Chris Richards, and Ilkay Gundogan nearly has another poached goal but the shot is straight at Turner.

Kickoff: They're back in action, with Gio Reyna brought off in favor of Luca de la Torre as expected. With Gio only just recently back from injury, this was exactly what Gregg Berhalter foreshadowed as they look to get him back to match fitness so he can return to Borussia Dortmund in full health.

HALFTIME: USA 1-1 Germany

What a half of football! A breathless 45 minutes of end-to-end football gave a sellout Rentschler Field crowd exactly what they'd hoped for. Christian Pulisic scored a sensational goal, but the U.S. were undone shortly after by some really bad mistakes at the back.

The only thing that half didn't have was quality defending!

USA vs Germany: First Half

45+1 min: Chance, Germany! Jamal Musiala makes a mazy run through midfield, and while Sergino Dest finally steps up to block his vertical feed, Dest attempts to play out of the back rather than clear the ball. He's immediately dispossessed, but Weston McKennie makes a critical block on the eventual shot, which was otherwise free on goal. Can't be doing that, Sergino!

44th min: A well-earned yellow card is shown to Mats Hummels who is drawn out wide and scythes down Sergino Dest near the touchline. A thumping tackle with Germany stretched on a U.S. counter.

Just one minute of stoppage time is shown.

39th min: GOAL! GERMANY! An absolutely gorgeous bit of play levels the match! Leroy Sane carves up the U.S. defense with a lateral run atop the 18-yard box, eventually cutting into the penalty area past a slide by Yunus Musah. Sane tried to round Matt Turner, and the U.S. goalkeeper got a slight touch to prevent a shot, but it's poked right to Ilkay Gundogan who slams it home!

Musah and Sergino Dest both got done on that play, and no fewer than six other U.S. players could have potentially helped but instead stood and watched.

35th min: Chance, USA! A cross from Tim Weah deep on the right nearly finds Folarin Balogun at the top of the six-yard box, but it's just inches behind his outstretched foot. Then Gio Reyna collects it back out wide, and his looped shot is saved by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but not before a bit of a fumble.

The Germans look a bit flustered after the goal.

27th min: GOAL! USA! IT'S A CHRISTIAN PULISIC STUNNER TO OPEN THE SCORING! He latches onto the ball at the top of the penalty area, cuts onto his right, and delivers a glorious curler into the top corner!

27th min: Chance, Germany! MATT TURNER STANDS TALL! He makes a reflex save on Niklas Fullkrug! The German striker had found a small bit of space between Joe Scally and Tim Ream with the former sliding by a cutback, but Turner is positioned well to make the stop.

This match is wide open!

26th min: Chance, USA! Christian Pulisic is brought down by the goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen very late, but the referee waves play away. It came off a brilliant feed forward by Gio Reyna to Folarin Balogun, and with the U.S. breaking two-on-one, he squares to Pulisic one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

Pulisic tried to round the keeper, but a heavy touch got away from him. Replay shows it was probably a dive, and the USMNT captain is lucky not to have been booked.

23rd min: Sergino Dest has a shot from distance that forces a save by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but it's a bit tame. Came off a bad turnover by Antonio Rudiger passing it right to Yunus Musah near the midfield stripe.

Musah sends the crowd into a frenzy as he nutmegs Florian Wirtz in midfield.

22nd min: Chance, Germany! Matt Turner makes a good low save on a shot by Niklas Fullkrug! Germany were in the midst of a long spell of attacking possession, and Jamal Musiala's blocked shot fell right into Fullkrug's lap from about 12 yards out shaded right. He scuffed it, and Turner doesn't need to go full stretch.

18th min: Gregg Berhalter has made a bit of an adjustment. They have switched to a 4-2-3-1 with Gio Reyna at the No. 10 and Weston McKennie partnering with Yunus Musah in midfield. It switches to a flat 4-4-2 at times, with Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna alternating up top alongside Folarin Balogun.

14th min: The U.S. break off a failed Germany corner as Tim Weah gets around Robin Gosens with pure pace. He feeds a perfect ball to Christian Pulisic, but two German defenders do well to close the U.S. captain off and he can only win a corner.

11th min: Chance, Germany! THE VISITORS HIT THE WOODWORK! Pascal Gross makes a central run which nobody tracks, and Jamal Musiala's square cross finds him in space at the top of the penalty area. His low shot evades a diving Matt Turner but squarely strikes the bottom of the right post!

9th min: Chance, USA! The United States create a chance with their first counter-attack! Jamal Musiala misses a sliding interception to start the break, and then Gio Reyna feeds Tim Weah inside the 18-yard box. Weah crosses to Christian Pulisic in front of goal, but as he's bundled over awkwardly, he can only direct the ball into the arms of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

8th min: Germany look lively so far up front, and while the U.S. is doing well to stop moves before the enter the attacking third, they can't get out of their own half when they win the ball back. The visitors appear to be attacking Chris Richards early, who seems nervy in possession.

Leroy Sane does well to get around Weston McKennie and feed the ball to Niklas Fullkrug at the edge of the six-yard box, but Tim Ream manages to just get it clear. Then Jamal Musiala weaves into space atop the penalty area before being forced to feed it wide instead of shoot. The Germans are asking a lot of question so far.

4th min: Christian Pulisic is threaded through on goal and puts the ball in the back of the net, but the offside flag went up well before he finished it. This wasn't a case of the flag waiting until the play concluded to break the U.S. hearts, the linesman had it in the air for a while.

2nd min: Germany possessing early, and indeed are in a 4-2-3-1. It's Jonathan Tah, not Antonio Rudiger, at right-back. U.S. pressing well and hemming in the Germans early before turning the ball over and winning possession on the U.S. right side.

Chris Richards and Tim Ream nearly have a gaffe at the back but get away with it under pressure.

Kickoff: They're under way in Hartford! Rentschler Field is essentially full, as Connecticut has really shown out. There are a solid contingent of away fans here, largely congregated in one corner, where there are lots of German flags waving.

A moment of silence is held to honor those suffering from the recent violence in the Middle East.

USA vs Germany: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and more

15 mins to kickoff: The players are finishing their warmups and are about ready to complete their introductions and get the match under way.

A big test for Yunus Musah today as he looks to cover in midfield behind Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie, with Tyler Adams out. Germany's midfield is thin, but they are bursting with world-class attacking talent. Musah will have to be at his absolute best to cover with Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz, and Leroy Sane all in the attacking buildup.

30 mins to kickoff: Players are out on the field warming up, and the crowd is beginning to file in at Rentschler Field. A near-sellout is expected!

45 mins to kickoff: There's an old and young flavor in the U.S. starting lineup today. Yunus Musah is the third-youngest player to ever reach 30 USMNT caps, at just 20 days and 319 days old. He's just behind Jozy Altidore and Christian Pulisic, missing the record by a mere 42 days.

On the other end, Tim Ream is the oldest player to feature for the U.S. in a starting role since Thomas Dooley in 1999.

1 hour to kickoff: Germany's lineup is also in, and it's a 3-at-the-back formation, with Pascal Gross and Robin Gosens as wing-backs. Mats Hummels slides straight into the lineup on his return to the fold, and Niklas Fullkrug gets the nod up front at striker.

It's a very attacking lineup for Germany, but the midfield appears thin, as Ilkay Gundogan starts but Leon Goretzka and Josh Kimmich are both dropped in favor of an additional playmaker. This could theoretically end up more like a 4-2-3-1 with Jonathan Tah or Antonio Rudiger at right-back and Gross sliding into midfield along Gundogan.

Kimmich does not even appear on the bench, so his reported illness yesterday may have affected the starting lineup.

1 hour 10 mins to kick: The USMNT lineup is in, and Gio Reyna starts for the U.S. There are surprises at center-back as Tim Ream and Miles Robinson start over Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

UPDATE: It appears there was an error on the initial release, and Richards is starting at CB, not Robinson.

1 hour 15 mins to kick: The U.S. team bus has just arrived and a few players are hanging out on the pitch. Lineups are out in 15 minutes and then warmups in about 30 minutes. This match is drawing closer!

1 hour 30 mins to kick: One U.S. player to watch today is Folarin Balogun, who provides a goal scoring threat the U.S. hasn't had at the striker position in years. Gregg Berhalter's system has been forced to use strikers who are strong with their pressing and hold-up play to bring wingers into the attack.

With Balogun up front, Berhalter has been open about how he as manager and Balogun as the player have been working to mesh their best skills together. Berhalter mentioned Balogun's ability to "run in behind the back line" as one of his best attributes he wishes to take full advantage of, indicating they need to "get him the ball" more.

Balogun also, when asked who he's excited to build chemistry with, named Gio Reyna. Those two have already combined for a goal this past summer, and could mesh well moving forward.

1 hour 45 mins to kick: The U.S. has always been big on squad unity under Gregg Berhalter, but the added chemistry that comes with having international teammates also playing together at big clubs has been palpable. Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah are thriving at AC Milan, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah have carved out important utility roles at Juventus, and a trio of guys are proving worthy of more minutes at PSV.

Add all that to the two Fulham guys Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson who have been together for some time, and it's been valuable to the U.S. squad.

Read more from The Sporting News about how players & coaches are excited about the bonus chemistry from club teammates at the international level.

2 hours to kickoff: The Rentschler Field pitch has some pretty ugly patches on it that appear to have come from the transition between UConn football and USA soccer. By far the worst spots are where the college football sidelines were, and the six-yard boxes are a bit torn up too. It's not the greatest look.

2 hours 15 mins to kick: Josh Kimmich, one of the most important players in the Germany squad, missed training yesterday due to a "light cold," so it will be interesting to see whether that illness keeps him from playing, or starting, today.

2 hours 30 mins to kickoff: The U.S. will wear their blue kits today. That means Germany will wear their whites with the big black stripe.

2 hours 45 mins to kick: Gio Reyna will return today after missing months with a leg fracture suffered during this summer's CONCACAF Nations League.

Gregg Berhalter would not commit to Reyna in a starting role, but it definitely sounds like he will play significant minutes, either starting and then being withdrawn at halftime like Folarin Balogun was in September before his move to AS Monaco, or coming on at halftime for the second 45.

3 hours to kickoff: The DFB has received significant criticism for making this trip to North America for friendlies against the US and Mexico, with both the media and a few prominent German managers speaking out, including Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel.

While there's likely some form of superiority complex involved there on a surface level, with Germans miffed that their European giant is traveling across the globe to meet a pair of lesser CONCACAF sides, a closer look at their travel schedule does invite some valid questions.

Most notably, the Germany squad will return to Europe just a single day prior to Dortmund's first match after the break, which sees BVB play Werder Bremen on Friday, October 20. Bayern have their first game back against on Saturday, as do most Bundesliga teams. Does this trip really serve Germany well compared to other options?

USA vs Germany lineups & team news

The only question in that regard was the full match fitness of Gio Reyna and Cameron Carter-Vickers who both just made their return from long-term injuries with a single substitute appearance before the international break. Reyna starts, but could be limited to just the first half, while Carter-Vickers begins on the bench with Tim Ream and Chris Richards preferred.

Otherwise, Tyler Adams is missing with the recurrence of his hamstring injury, and Antonee Robinson was rested as he plays through a sports hernia. Sergino Dest has been playing left-back with his new club PSV this season, and with Jedi out, he starts at that spot, with Joe Scally on the right..

Adams' absence could eventually present a chance for uncapped Lennard Maloney to see the field, although he must for now settle for a spot on the bench, as do the other midfield options Luca de la Torre and Johnny Cardoso.

USA starting lineup (4-3-3): Turner (GK) — Scally, Ream, Richards, Dest — Reyna, Musah, McKennie — Weah, Balogun, Pulisic.

USA subs (12): Horvath (GK), Carter-Vickers, M. Robinson, Lund, D. Jones, Paredes, Maloney, Johnny, de la Torre, Zendejas, Aaronson, Pepi.

Julian Nagelsmann has selected a full five center-backs for this trip. One of those is Mats Hummels, who has not been called in since 2021 and was dropped for the entirety of Hansi Flick's time in charge. Hummels slides right back into the starting lineup.

Josh Kimmich, who was reportedly ill and missed training on Friday, is not included in the starting lineup nor on the bench, a big loss for Germany.

Those five center-backs are in contract to just two natural full-backs on the roster in David Raum and Robin Gosens, both left-sided players. Nagelsmann has slotted Gosens into a starting role on the left, and while Pascal Gross looks to be filling in at midfield alongside captain Ilkay Gundogan, he could also move to right wing-back if Antonio Rudiger or Jonathan Tah aren't cutting it out wide.

Injuries for Nagelsmann to work around include Serge Gnabry who is out with a broken arm, and Timo Werner who has been touch and go at RB Leipzig with a back problem. There's a choice for Nagelsmann to make up front, as Niclas Fullkrug has been prolific in his short national-team stint, but Thomas Muller is an experienced veteran who is still performing at a high level.

MORE: Get a full overview of the Germany squad for the match against the United States

Germany starting lineup (4-2-3-1): ter Stegen (GK) — Tah, Rudiger, Hummels, Gosens — Gross, Gundogan — Sane, Musiala, Wirtz — Fullkrug.

Germany subs (13): Trapp (GK), Leno (GK), Baumann, Thiaw, Sule, Raum, Andrich, Fuhrich, Goretzka, Hofmann, Brandt, Muller, Behrens.

How to watch USA vs Germany

  • Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
  • TV Channel: TNT (English); Telemundo, Universo (Spanish)
  • Streaming: Fubo, HBO Max, Peacock, Telemundo Deportes en Vivo, Universo NOW

The match between the United States and Germany will be available to watch on television in both English and Spanish.

TNT will have the English language broadcast, while a Spanish-language option is available on both Telemundo and Universo. All three channels are available to stream on Fubo.

MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA | Watch EPL in Canada

USA vs Germany betting odds & lines

In Canada, bet international friendlies at Sports Interaction: See the latest odds for USA vs Germany here

  USA
win		 Draw Germany
win		 Both teams
to score Y / N		 Over / Under
2.5 goals
BetMGM
(USA)		 +260 +265 -110 -165 / +115 -155 / +110

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.