WATCH — USMNT vs Paraguay
Pochettino is missing many key players through injury for this game (Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Tim Weah to name a few), while the likes of Weston McKennie, Chris Richards and Malik Tillman have all been left out but will no doubt be in the World Cup squad next summer. These friendlies against Paraguay on Saturday and Uruguay on Tuesday are perhaps the last chance for fringe players to impress and it feels particularly big for Gio Reyna, Auston Trusty and Tanner Tessmann to stake a claim for a spot on the World Cup roster.
Advertisement
Paraguay did extremely well in South American World Cup qualifying as they reached their first World Cup since 2010. Their star player is Atlanta United’s Miguel Almiron, while the likes of Julio Enciso and Diego Gomez are players with Premier League experience and Omar Alderete will keep things tight at the back. Head coach Gustavo Alfaro guided Paraguay through an extremely solid qualification campaign as they conceded just 10 goals through 18 games and are so tough to break down.
For live updates and highlights throughout USMNT vs Paraguay, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch USMNT vs Paraguay live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 5pm ET Saturday (November 15)
Venue: Subaru Park — Chester, Pennsylvania
TV Channel: Telemundo, Universo
Streaming: Stream live on Peacock en Espanol
Advertisement
USMNT team news, focus
You can find our predicted lineup for the USMNT here, as Pochettino will hand out plenty of chances for players to impress. Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest and Tim Ream should all start and are likely to start at the World Cup next summer, and then it’s really up in the air. Pochettino could experiment with a back three and it’s likely we see Tessmann, Trusty and Reyna start as they all have the quality to push for a starting spot but will first be focused on impressing in these games to definitely get in the World Cup squad. Even though the USMNT is missing plenty of starters for this game, Pochettino will want to see his side build on their high-energy and disciplined displays against Ecuador and Australia last month. This is also a big chance for forwards Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright to lock down their spots in the squad.
Paraguay team news, focus
Almiron and Enciso will be a real handful in attack while Brighton’s Diego Gomez will provide plenty of power and late runs into the box from midfield. Sunderland’s Alderete will anchor defense and Paraguay are all about sitting back deep and hitting teams on the counter. They have the perfect players to do that in Almiron, Enciso and Gomez and they will provide a really good test of the USMNT’s concentration levels.
Advertisement
USMNT vs Paraguay prediction
With the pressure off and both teams set to try out some new players this feels like it could be a pretty open, entertaining game if there’s an early goal. USMNT 2-2 Paraguay.