First up for the U.S. men’s national team? Paraguay. Here are our predictions for America’s World Cup opener.
A win over Paraguay in the first of its three group matches would go a long way toward helping the U.S. advance to the knockout rounds.
America getting out of its group on American soil.
In this World Cup, that is the first goal — and the road begins Friday when the U.S. men’s national team kicks off against Paraguay (9 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo).
Paraguay is the first of three matches for the United States in Group D, where they’ll also face Australia (June 19, 3 p.m.) and Turkey (June 25, 10 p.m.).
It’s a group from which many feel the U.S. can emerge, and a recent pair of tuneup matches against Senegal and Germany provided additional validation.
Paraguay is also a team the U.S. defeated 2-1 at Subaru Park in Chester just eight months earlier, with a sizable contingent of players who qualified for head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup roster.
We’ve been watching since the beginning of qualifying cycles, which, as the host nation, the U.S. didn’t need to qualify for. Along the way, we analyzed a wide pool that over two years competed in a Concacaf Nations League third-place game and a Gold Cup final in the lead-up.
This roster, which features its strongest Philly accent in over 90 years, is complete with some of the most talented players America has to offer — and a few who noticeably were left off the list. But this is Pochettino’s team.
The Inquirer’s soccer crew will offer up game-by-game prediction for each match, starting with Paraguay …
The hope and expectation around this team are mostly justified. Because of that, I’m going to be a contrarian for a moment. Dating back to the first World Cup in 1930, the U.S. men have played 37 games on soccer’s biggest stage. They’ve won just nine, lost 20, and tied eight; and they haven’t won more than one group game in a tournament since that inaugural edition.
This team doesn’t face the pressure of world powers like Argentina and England, but it still faces plenty as a co-host desperate to give the sport a lasting legacy here. Paraguay, meanwhile, loves playing defense — and will likely play even more without injured star forward Julio Enciso.
It’s good for the U.S. that they beat Paraguay last November in a friendly at Subaru Park. But this game will be a lot harder, and I’m not at all sure the home team will have a big home advantage from the L.A. crowd. I think the U.S. wins it close.
Prediction: United States 1, Paraguay 0.
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One of the great things about being so deeply entrenched in this sport is the freeing feeling that wins and losses in tuneup matches offer very little insight into how good a team is. Win over Senegal? Somewhat ecstatic. Loss to Germany? Somewhat expected.
I think it comes down to a few things, but what I mainly look for in this first match against Paraguay is who Pochettino puts out there. He beat this nation with a group largely comprised of the same guys, and has an even stronger cast in this go-around. I think this is the perfect first match to get acclimated and one the U.S. takes three points in.
Prediction: United States 2, Paraguay 0.
Who will be the U.S. face of the U.S. World Cup? Easy. Christian Pulisic, Captain America, who gets America’s biggest soccer party started with a signature goal in the opener. Pulisic, whose goal in a friendly last month was his first goal for club or country in five months, brought the energy in the opening minutes of the 2022 opener before finally breaking through — and perhaps risking his future generations — for a goal against Iran.
The U.S. should win their group, and the path starts with a win on Friday. The Americans will take care of business against Paraguay and the country’s biggest soccer star will shine bright in L.A.
Prediction: United States 2, Paraguay 0.
» READ MORE: ‘I’m ready,’ USMNT star centerback Chris Richards says as he finishes his comeback from injury
There’s no way that arguably the most talented team America has ever sent to a World Cup loses its first match on home soil … right? Doubts about the goalkeeper situation and the health of Chris Richards aside, this match is too big for the U.S. to lose.
Fortunately for the Americans, the U.S. will get the lowest-ranking member of Group D to start their World Cup campaign. They have already beaten Paraguay in a friendly during Pochettino’s tenure with a less talented squad, and there’s nothing that suggests that the Americans won’t be able to replicate that result on Friday on the big stage in Inglewood.
Prediction: United States 3, Paraguay 1.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
