A match eight years in the making \u2014 since the USA was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico on the eve of the 2018 tournament \u2014 is finally here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Americans begin Group D play on Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles with an abundance of optimism.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Any World Cup game is a huge opportunity for us,” Christian Pulisic, the Stars and Stripes\u2019 headliner and top attacker, said before the squad\u2019s final pre-Cup training session. “We have to have a good performance and really fight.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Coach Mauricio Pochettino was more succinct. “We need to win,” he said.<\/p>\n
Here’s everything to know ahead of USA vs. Paraguay:<\/p>\n
Goalkeeper \u00b7\u00a0United States<\/p>\n
Laken Litman:<\/strong> I\u2019m really intrigued by Matt Freese. Will he officially be the USA\u2019s starting goalkeeper? If so, Friday\u2019s opener vs. Paraguay will be just his 16th cap for the national team. At training on Thursday, Freese and incumbent Matt Turner seemed to still be battling. Goalkeeper coach Toni Jimenez was working them hard and could be heard yelling, “You need to control the situation, don\u2019t let the situation control you” during a drill with Freese. How will Freese respond in this massive moment?<\/p>\n Forward \u00b7\u00a0United States<\/p>\n McIntyre:<\/strong> The New York-born, London-raised dual national striker, who chose the U.S. over England in 2023 and scores prolifically for Champions League mainstay AS Monaco, will be counted on for the goals that will help his country advance to the new round of 32 \u2014 and, fans of the co-hosts hope, well beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n FOX Sports’ Stu Holden predicts a back-four lineup for the USA. However, he states that it will be more of a back-three formation with the expectation for Antonee “Jedi” Robinson to move forward to help the midfielders maintain possession.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Possession is key,” Holden stated. “That’s why I have Malik Tillman and Tyler Adams in there, with Adams as a destroyer and Tillman getting on the ball.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Sergi\u00f1o Dest has often played in the backline but has featured in a forward role under USA manager Maurico Pochettino. That will help Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic be able to roam freely and attack what should be a stout Paraguayan defense.<\/p>\n “I don’t [McKennie] back to goal,” Holden added. “I want him late runs into the box. \u2026 Pulisic has looked back to what we all know what he is worthy of.”<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Folarin Balogun gets the nod at striker, although USA legend Clint Dempsey wants to see good link-up play between Pulisic and Balogun.<\/p>\n “I know there is a lot of pressure on Christian to create. He’s dangerous in the attack,” Dempsey said. “I would like to see him give it and get it back again and give Balogun more touches.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Predicted Formation: <\/strong>4-2-3-1<\/p>\n \u2022 Is the U.S. ready for primetime?:\u00a0<\/strong>In 1994 (1st time as host), the USA advanced as a best third-place finisher. Only two host nations failed to advance from the group stage: South Africa (2010) and Qatar (2022). Those tournament formats only saw the top two teams in each group advance.<\/p>\n \u2022 Paraguay’s tough defense: <\/strong>During its World Cup qualifying campaign, Paraguay posted 10 clean sheets in 18 games while conceded only 10 goals (tied for second fewest with Argentina).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2022 A familiar face:<\/strong> Paraguay veteran Miguel Almir\u00f3n is familiar to fans on three continents, having moved from Cerro Porte\u00f1o in his native country to Argentine club Lan\u00fas to MLS side Atlanta United to Premier League mainstay Newcastle United before returning to Atlanta last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2022 Julio Enciso injury:\u00a0<\/strong>Paraguay’s <\/strong>22-year-old attacking midfielder is racing to be fit for Friday’s game. The attacking midfielder, considered one of the team’s most talented youngsters, was injured vs. Nicaragua in pre-World Cup friendly on June 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n How Tough Is Paraguay? What Is The USA’s Ceiling? Maurice Edu Answers Fans’ Questions<\/p>\n Scouting USA vs. Paraguay: 2022 World Cup Defender Previews Group D Opener<\/p>\n After Last Year’s Scuffle, USA’s Alex Freeman Wants To Keep It Cool vs. Paraguay<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY A match eight years in the making \u2014 since the USA was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico on the eve of the 2018 tournament \u2014 is finally here.\u00a0 The Americans begin Group D play on Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles with an abundance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4602,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}