U.S. Men’s National Team’s Clear Path in World Cup Group Stage

WASHINGTON — The U.S. men’s national team has a clear route for the group stage of the World Cup.

After drawing with Paraguay, Australia, and the winners of the European playoff involving Turkiye, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo, the Americans are seen as favorites to win Group D. The drawing took place at the Kennedy Center on Friday.

The U.S. will face Paraguay in their first World Cup match in Los Angeles on June 12. This will be Paraguay’s first World Cup appearance since 2010. Recent history favors the U.S., as they managed a 2-1 victory over Paraguay in a friendly last month, which should give them some confidence—although the team will likely see a lot of changes.

Paraguay performed well in the South American qualifiers, conceding only a few goals in CONMEBOL and earning as many points as top teams like Brazil and Colombia.

Australia, who will play against the U.S. on June 19 in Seattle, finished second in their group during the last World Cup, tying their best record but falling to Argentina in the round of 16. They hired manager Toni Popovich during their qualifiers after former coach Graham Arnold stepped down following disappointing results. The team qualified smoothly, notably beating Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Similarly, the U.S. recently beat Australia in a friendly in October, winning 2-1 with Haji Wright scoring both goals.

The identity of the U.S.’s third opponent, set for June 19 in Los Angeles, won’t be confirmed until March 31. Upcoming matches in March will determine who qualifies from the playoff between Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo.

Under Mauricio Pochettino, the USMNT has made significant progress, winning against teams like Uruguay and Paraguay in November. They are currently on a five-year unbeaten streak, but their last loss dates back to September 6 against South Korea.

After a challenging summer—marked by friendly losses to Turkiye and Switzerland, a Gold Cup final loss to Mexico, and some public disagreements between Pochettino and star player Christian Pulisic—the team’s recent form is indeed a welcome change.

While it seems like those issues are now behind them, the team’s diverse composition during recent exhibitions raises questions about how things will adjust when star players like Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Weston McKennie return to full strength.

We’ll have to wait until March to get a clearer picture. The U.S. has friendlies against Belgium and Portugal lined up before regrouping in late May ahead of the World Cup.

March camp in Atlanta will be crucial for players hoping to leave a lasting impression, as the final squad is expected to include as many World Cup members as possible.

Before heading to California for the group stage, the U.S. has two more friendlies scheduled: one on May 31 in Charlotte against an opponent yet to be announced, and another on June 6 in Chicago against Germany.