Match Preview

As one of the three host nations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the United States will hope to capitalize on home support, alongside fellow co-hosts Mexico and Canada. With automatic qualification secured, Mauricio Pochettino was handed the rare luxury of nearly two years to prepare his squad for the tournament, but with the group stage now underway, every result carries major significance.

The Americans showed encouraging signs during their warm-up schedule. A hard-fought 3-2 victory over Senegal demonstrated their attacking potential, though preparations ended on a sour note with a 2-1 defeat to Germany, despite a brilliant equalizer from Antonee Robinson. After wrapping up camp in Chicago, the squad moved to California to focus on their opening Group D clash, a fixture that could heavily influence the trajectory of their campaign.

Currently ranked 16th in the FIFA standings, the United States are preparing for their 12th World Cup appearance. At minimum, they will be aiming to replicate their Round of 16 finish on home soil in 1994, while memories of their impressive quarter-final run in 2002 continue to inspire belief. Encouragingly, the Americans have progressed to the knockout rounds in each of their last three World Cup appearances.

Playing all of their group-stage matches at home — in Los Angeles and Seattle — the USA begin against Paraguay in what will be their first World Cup meeting in 96 years. Their only previous encounter at the tournament came in 1930, when the Americans secured a convincing 3-0 victory.

Paraguay, meanwhile, are simply delighted to be back on football’s biggest stage after missing the last three World Cups. La Albirroja booked their ticket by finishing sixth in CONMEBOL qualifying, with one of their standout moments being a memorable 2-1 victory over reigning world champions Argentina.

Managed by Gustavo Alfaro, the third Argentine coach to lead Paraguay at a World Cup, the South Americans enter the tournament with little outside pressure. They suffered a 2-1 friendly defeat to the USA last November, but have since responded well, winning three of their last four matches, including a dominant 4-0 victory over Nicaragua in their final warm-up.

Paraguay are expected to stick to a pragmatic approach, prioritizing defensive structure, discipline, and set-piece opportunities over possession. With few tipping them to make a deep run, they arrive with freedom and little expectation — a factor that could make them dangerous opponents.

Back at the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they achieved a historic quarter-final finish, Paraguay will look to embrace the underdog role and potentially disrupt the hosts’ ambitions from the very beginning.

USA possible starting lineup:

Freese; Freeman, M. Robinson, Ream; Dest, McKennie, Adams, A. Robinson; Pulisic, Tillman; Balogun

Paraguay possible starting lineup:

Gill; Caceres, G. Gomez, Alderete, Alonso; Bobadilla, Cubas; D. Gomez, Enciso, Almiron; Sanabria

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