With the beginning of the 2026 World Cup last Thursday, excitement is growing for every country, and now it is time for the USMNT to make their debut against Paraguay in the opening match of Group D.
Expectations were already high for the USMNT, but what they did in their last friendly may be encouraging. Beating Senegal was a good result, and standing toe-to-toe with Germany in a 2-1 loss may be the moment fans begin to place their hopes on this team. The 5-2 defeat to Belgium and the loss to Portugal in March also gave rivals a benchmark at the highest level.
Unlike their opponents, Paraguay decided to play just one friendly before the tournament, using it more as a farewell for the players returning to this stage after 16 years away. In that comfortable win over Nicaragua, their best player went down in pain. Even so, Julio Enciso could be ready to start from the first minute in the lineup.
