A CONCACAF vs CONEMBOL clash features on day 2 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The United States with Mauricio Pochettino as manager plays its opening game in Los Angeles against Paraguay, who take an underdog mindset into the World Cup. We offer our confirmed lineups and team news for this primetime day 2 match.
Read More: 2026 World Cup Matchday 2 Predictions Including United States vs Paraguay
United States vs Paraguay
Date: Friday, June 12th
Venue: Los Angeles, California, USA (Sofi Stadium)
Kick Off: 21:00
Referee: Danny Desmond Makkelie
Current Odds: United States 1.9, Draw 3.4 Paraguay 4.2
United States Team News
Whatever you think of his style, Mauricio Pochettino is the confidence man for the stars and stripes ahead of this World Cup. Rather than letting their play on the field do the talking, Pochettino has made various claims that he believes his team can contend for a World Cup. In his pre-match press conference he said team is “good in all areas, tactically, physically, and mentally”. He also praised the work of his fellow Argentinian manager Gustavo Alfaro, who led Paraguay back to the World Cup. On the injury front, Chris Richards was named to the starting lineup, as all the USA’s 26 man roster appears to be ready to play.
Paraguay Team News
Paraguay’s pre-match press conference showed genuine emotion. Diego Gomez, the player who was designated to take part in the press conference broke into tears, stating . “I’m a player who is always calm, but to be honest, I’m aware that the people of Paraguay are really excited about us,”
While attention has largely been focused on how the host nation will perform in this World Cup, South American teams as a whole have a fantastic record when the tournament is played in North or South America, and Paraguay hopes to channel that momentum into this match. They also received a boost when it was revealed that Julio Enciso, their star attacker from Strasbourg, is fit enough after a thigh injury to start for his country in their opening World Cup game.
Read More: Carlo Ancelotti Talks World Cup Expectations for Neymar
United States Confirmed Lineup (3-4-3)
GK: Matthew Freese
Defenders: Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream
Midfielders: Sergino Dest, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Antonee Robinson
Forwards: Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun
Richards returning to the starting lineup is the only change of note. Matt Freese was named the starting goalkeeper.
Paraguay Confirmed Lineup (4-5-1)
GK: Orlando Gill
Defenders: Junior Alonso, Omar Alderete, Gustavo Gomez, Juan Caceres
Midfielders: Diego Gomez, Andres Cubas, Damian Bobadilla, Miguel Almiron, Julio Enciso
Forwards: Antonio Sanabria
Orlando Gill from San Lorenzo in the Liga Argentina is the starting goalkeeper, while Enciso will start in the CAM role.
Main Photo Credit: Smartframe Images
