USA will face their moment of reckoning as they open their World Cup campaign against a resurgent Paraguay side that will be looking to make a big splash in this edition of the World Cup at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. The Stars and Stripes will be looking to make a statement on their day of days as they hope to get off to a winning start in the tournament.
Here is our Preview and Predictions for the game.
With the way that Group D is set up, there is no better opportunity for hosts USA to finish the group stages as table-toppers and gain themselves as favourable a draw as possible in the knockouts stages. And they also have the squad for it.
The USMNT is filled to the brim with quality players plying their trade in the biggest European leagues. Add to the mix a manager who has managed some of the biggest clubs in Mauricio Pochettino, the pressure on them is immense to perform on home turf and get past the Round of 16, something that they have not managed to do in the last few World Cup editions.
Paraguay are one of the few unheralded South American sides who come in as something of an unknown quantity. After securing qualification in their second World Cup after 2010, they come on the back of a mixed run of form, beating the sides they were expected to beat, while losing to those they were expected to lose.
In terms of the squad, USMNT beat Paraguay by leaps and bounds. The likes of Tyler Adams, Chris Richards, Brenden Aaronson, Westin McKennie, Antonee Robinson, Folarin Balogun, and Timothy Weah all have European experience and pedigree. Most of this side also played in the 2022 edition in Qatar which puts them in good stead in terms of match experience in the World Cup.
Paraguay entered the World Cup with question marks over the availability of their star man Julio Enciso, who was taken off on a stretcher in their recent friendly, but they will breathe a sigh of relief after it was revealed that he has avoided any major injury and is progressing well in his recovery. Apart from Enciso, the likes of Miguel Almiron, Alex Arce, and Antonio Sanabria to drive this team forward in terms of attacking output and pressing from the front.
USA will definitely enter this game as the heavy favourites, dominating all metrics and will be buoyed by a fervent local crowd who will be looking to taste success in the sport’s biggest occasions.
Score Prediction: USA 3- 1 Paraguay
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood
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