USA vs Paraguay: Fast Start Crucial for Hosts

by Bradley Gibbs

image USA vs Paraguay: Fast Start Crucial for Hosts
On Friday, the Stars and Stripes will begin their campaign underway in California, where the Paraguayans will be hoping to dampen the mood of the tournament co-hosts.

They pack a punch, but can they defend? 

As mentioned in our World Cup picks, the USA can cut it offensively, and they will do damage against teams in this World Cup, starting with Paraguay, though they really do let themselves down at the other end, which is why it's hugely important for them to start fast and make the most of this opening game, as noted in our USA vs Paraguay prediction.

One thing that we’ve seen from this USA side, which is massively positive, is that the goals don’t just come from one area. Sure, someone like Christian Pulisic is going to be called upon as a main provider, while Balogun will likely offer the most consistent threat, but as the warm-up games have shown, the goals can come from anywhere, with the likes of Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson both scoring recently. 

Being able to share the goals around and score from a variety of different situations will certainly help Pochettino’s men to pile on the pressure as they fight for supremacy in Group D. 

There’s little doubt about the USA's ability to hurt opponents. They have the tools to do plenty of damage, this we know. The big question is, and it really is a big question, can they defend? Realistically, based on what we’ve seen from the Stars and Stripes in 2026, the answer can only be no. 

In their final warm-up game, the US conceded twice against a less-than-full-strength German team, while they shipped multiple goals against Senegal before that. Back in March, the Portuguese banged in two against Poch’s defense, while a few days before that, the Belgians ran riot, scoring five. Worrying signs indeed. 

USA vs Paraguay key details

In the build up to this World Cup, Mauricio Pochettino’s men have tested the waters at several stadiums in the US, but they’ve not yet played in Inglewood, California, which is where they’ll be on Friday. 

Key details for USA vs Paraguay: 

  • Date: Friday, June 12th
  • Kick off time: 18:00 PT/21:00 ET
  • Venue: SoFI Stadium, Inglewood, California
  • Where to watch: FOX (TSN in Canada)

Stars and Stripes to sparkle?

If you believe that the US can overpower their opponents, much as they did when the pair met just over six months ago, then you may want to check out what DraftKings has to offer with their ‘American Kickoff’ parlay, which consists of the USA to get the win, starman Christian Pulisic to score and the dangerous Folarin Balogun to score or assist, paying +700. 

Both Pulisic and Balogun enjoyed decent domestic campaigns offensively, with the AC Milan player scoring ten goals in all competitions, averaging 0.50 per 90 minutes. It’s not difficult to see why he’s fancied to thrive here. For As Monaco, Balogun bagged 19 goals in all competitions, averaging a very healthy 0.53 goals per 90 minutes, which is why he’s also expected by many to do well in this game. 

At the other end of the field, the big defensive question may not need to be answered here, and their offensive quality could well be enough to see the US through, but sooner or later, there will be huge questions asked of Pochettino’s men at the back. Let’s see if they can come up with the right answers as the tournament progresses.