Alex Freeman was the steady and overlooked star for the USMNT in their World Cup debut.

U.S. Men’s National Team Dominates Paraguay

IRVINE, Calif. — It’s true, the U.S. men’s national team really pulled it off.

After their impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night, the excitement still lingered the next day. This was a historic moment, as the U.S. had never scored four goals in a World Cup match before. Also notable, Folarin Balogun became the first American in nearly a century to feature in two World Cup games. The match attracted 15.6 million viewers on Fox.

Paraguay’s coach, Gustavo Alfaro, acknowledged the U.S. team’s superiority, stating in Spanish, “The United States won with absolute justice and clarity. They were better than us tactically, technically, and physically.”

With this victory, the USMNT is on a path to likely advance to the final round. Given the structure of the tournament, eight of the twelve third-place teams progress, but their sights are clearly set on winning Group D, which now seems quite achievable.

Here are some thoughts following the match:

— One standout player was Alex Freeman. At just 21, he dominated the first half, winning nine out of 14 duels and successfully initiating a sequence that led to the opening goal. He capped off his performance with an assist for Gio Reyna’s goal. It’s amazing to see someone so young, who debuted internationally just a year ago, looking so composed on such a big stage. Freeman’s role has been crucial, balancing responsibilities between right center-back and right-back, both in attack and defense.

All FIFA World Cup matches are being broadcast on FOX.

Going into this match, there were concerns about the U.S. defense. Paraguay didn’t put up much of a challenge, with their only significant shot being Mauricio’s goal. Yet, Tim Ream and Chris Richards showed positive moments. Ream completed 93% of his passes, including some key ones that created opportunities. Meanwhile, Richards didn’t miss a single pass, achieving 100 percent accuracy in 83 attempts—a World Cup record since 1966. Ream commented, “He was too perfect. That’s Chris. He comes in, he doesn’t flinch.” They did make some mistakes leading to Paraguay’s goal, but overall their defensive contributions were promising.

McKennie seemed a bit unlucky not to have been more involved in the goals. Some speculated that the roster shake-up indicated he might play a deeper role for the U.S., and this match illustrated how that might limit tactics. However, McKennie found ample space and effectively cleared both Pulisic and Tillman.

It’s also essential to value this performance, even if Paraguay might not be viewed as a significant threat in the tournament. Despite their struggles, they managed to defeat Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay during the qualifiers. The U.S. didn’t simply win due to an expanded tournament.

One last concern is Tyler Adams’ yellow card. Under FIFA’s rules for this tournament, a yellow card is reset after the group stage, but two in the group can lead to a suspension. Given Adams’ vital role, it’s crucial that he navigates the next two matches without getting another.