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By Tyler Erzberger
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Germany is always a contender in the World Cup, and though they're not the odds-on favorite to win it all this summer in North America, they bring one of the strongest 26-man rosters to the tournament.
That roster took a gigantic hit on Friday, though, as the nation's brightest young star reportedly suffered a serious injury in practice before the game's final warm-up game before the World Cup on Saturday against the United States of America.
Bayern Munich's Lennart Karl was expected to be an important piece for Germany this summer, but it looks like his World Cup debut is over before it even begins, as manager Julian Nagelsmann told reporters that the situation did not look good for the 18-year-old.
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Karl had a magical season with the dynastic Munich, becoming the youngest player in Champions League history to score a goal in three consecutive games, surpassing a record set by France's Kylian Mbappé.
In total, Karl scored nine goals for Bayern Munich in his inaugural full campaign with the first team. Although he only made his debut with the German senior team in March, he was already receiving high marks from some of the team's central players, including Liverpool's Florian Wirtz, who praised the teenager's vibrant style on the field.
With Karl most likely out of the lineup, Nagelsmann and the German team will now face the difficult decision of which player not initially selected for the World Cup will get the last-minute call to join the team in the United States.
Germany will open their World Cup campaign next Sunday in Houston, Texas, against the debutants Curaçao.
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