USA vs Paraguay: Stars and Stripes to Shift Through the Gears?

Poch’s men on the up?

Ahead of the previous set of friendlies, the USMNT had maybe hit a flat spot. Sure, they did get the better of the Japanese in front of a home crowd at Lower.com Field, but the performance on that occasion was nowhere near as convincing as the 2-0 scoreline may have suggested. What’s more, they came unstuck against the South Koreans, showing clear defensive frailties. 

Those two friendlies didn’t exactly send the Stars and Stripes flying into the October friendlies, and it wasn’t exactly stellar stuff from Poch’s men against Ecuador. All round, that 1-1 tie was underwhelming, even if the second-half fight back was positive. 

Fortunately, that most recent effort against the Aussies was a very good one. Despite going a goal down early, the US stuck to their task, played front-footed soccer, created plenty, and crucially scored a couple of well-worked goals. With that effort in the bank, now could be the time to really get on the offensive and build some serious confidence. 

USA vs Paraguay key details 

This time around, it will be a change of scenery for the Stars and Stripes, who most recently played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. Instead, they’ll be in action in Chester, Pennsylvania, where they’ll play at Subaru Park, the home of Major League Soccer side Philadelphia Union. 

For several players in Pochettino’s squad, this game at Subaru Park will be something of a homecoming. Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Matt Freese and Brenden Aaronson all got their big breaks with the Philadelphia Union, so this should be a special occasion for that quartet. 

Now for the key USA vs Paraguay details: 

• Date: Saturday, November 15th

• Kick off time: 17:00 EST

• Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania

• Where to watch: HBO Max, Peacock (Telemundo, Universo in Spanish)

Paraguayans not prolific on the road 

Saturday’s visitors will go to Chester, Pennsylvania off the back of losing last time out, while they’ve only won one of their last five games, beating Peru by a goal to zero away from home during the South American World Cup qualifying campaign. 

That road win in Peru was the rarest of commodities, let’s be honest. This is a Paraguay team that really struggles to get the job done away from the comforts of home. They’ve won only one of their last ten away games, while they’ve only picked up two away-day wins since September 2022.

From a defensive point of view, they often flounder, conceding multiple goals in each of their last two on the road, as well as in six of their last ten. They’ve failed to score in four of those ten, scoring more than once in just three. In other words, on paper, this is absolutely a decent chance for the hosts. 

With Haji Wright leading the line last time out, the US looked much more threatening, while their attacks were not without end-product. Since bagging a brace in that game, Wright hasn’t scored for Coventry, but now is not the time for Pochettino to experiment with a different offensive option. Keep Wright up top and feed him, and let’s face it, the goals should come. 

Ahead of this clash, here are a couple of interesting player prop betting angles: 

Haji Wright to Score: +255 with DraftKings

Haji Wright may have failed to score since notching twice when the US were last in action, but the way in which he rose to the task in that game, taking both of his goals with aplomb, tells me that he can be the man to shoulder the scoring burden for the US, and given his overall form over the last few months, he looks generously priced. 

Wright is currently the third top scorer in the English Championship, averaging 0.69 goals per 90 minutes, while he has five goals in his last 12 appearances for the US. It’s also worth mentioning that Wright is currently the best player in the Championship when it comes to expected goals per 90 minutes, averaging a chunky 0.68. 

Quite simply, I don’t think odds of +255 are an accurate enough reflection of how threatening Wright is, so I’m definitely taking advantage and betting on the Coventry hitman to find the net in Chester. 

Diego Gomez 1+ Shots on Target: +105 with DraftKings

For the visitors, Diego Gomez will be looking to do some damage, and given that the youngster has been turning in some very lively and hungry performances for Brighton in the EPL, he really does look leniently priced to register a shot on target. 

Gomez recently scored not once but twice against Leeds, while he also notched during the most recent international break, scoring in a 2-2 tie against the Japanese. 

So far in the EPL this season, the 22-year-old averages 1.16 shots on target per 90 minutes, while he comes into this game having registered five shots on target in his last two games.