United States vs Paraguay 
The pick
Win, draw, and loss probabilities and expected goals are from our team-strength model. Public consensus from 2 sources: Forebet (model), Prediction markets (implied).
Head to head
Expected shapes: United States 3-4-2-1, Paraguay 4-4-2.
Ruled out: USA — Patrick Agyemang
Key players to watch
Projected XIs
Most-likely starting elevens based on recent selections.
- 1Matt Freese
- 2Auston Trusty
- 3Chris Richards
- 4Antonee Robinson
- 5Weston McKennie
- 6Christian Pulisic
- 7Sebastian Berhalter
- 8Alex Freeman
- 9Malik Tillman
- 10Tim Weah
- 11Aidan Morris
- 1O Gill
- 2J Cáceres
- 3G Gómez
- 4O Alderete
- 5J Alonso
- 6D Gómez
- 7D Bobadilla
- 8B Ojeda
- 9M Almirón
- 10G Ávalos
- 11J Enciso
Storylines
USMNT's final World Cup experiment vs. Germany offers clues at how they will approach opener vs. Paraguay
The USMNT enter their home World Cup opener after a 2-1 friendly loss to Germany, with questions over Pochettino's still-unsettled side and Chris Richards' ankle injury. Paraguay, back at the World Cup for the first time since 2010, arrive disciplined and hard to break down.
USA vs Paraguay: Predictions, Picks, Odds & Stats
Preview of the Group D opener at SoFi Stadium: bet365 prices USA at +100, with the hosts favored but Paraguay's deep, compact block pointing to a low-scoring night. USA have not lost to Paraguay since 2011.
Player ratings are EA Sports FC 26 attributes, used here as a consistent, public proxy for player quality. Squad-level comparisons cover the players we could rate; coverage varies by team.