Key events
Were the anthem singers introduced? Paraguay had a man and woman offering up a rousing rendition that drew applause from the US team. The US anthem is being sung by a couple of nicely dressed guys.
The teams walked out to the Alan Parsons classic Sirius, made famous by the 1990s Chicago Bulls.
The referee and the challenge he’ll face …
“Last November’s “friendly” in Chester, PA, provided a flare-up for the ages,” Justin Kavanagh writes. “So there could be quite the grudge-match residue swirling around the field tonight. Three red cards in the first match? Tonight’s ref might be similarly busy. Gustavo Gómez, especially, might fancy an early reducer.”
That ref will be Danny Makkelle, a 43-year-old from the Netherlands. I’ve been a ref for several years now, but no one asked me. Snub.
The YouTubers I follow insist that Katy Perry’s career is done, but she received a nice welcome as she and a preteen singer closed out the opening festivities.
Katy Perry performs ahead of kick-off. The kind of performance you’d expect from an astronaut. Photograph: Matt McNulty/FIFA/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 20.56 EDT
Paraguay’s danger man
A bit of a surprise starter because of an injury concern, Julio Enciso will certainly occupy the attention of the USA’s defensive duo/trio/fivesome:
Julio Enciso player guideShare
Not on my bingo card for this session: a discussion of sounds made by predatory birds …
“Bald eagles don’t screech,” writes Sebastian Merz from Canada. “The best way to describe the species‘ vocalizations is a gobble or perhaps a chatter. It takes nothing away from the majesticity of the animal, but somehow our neighbours to the south often feel the need to dub it with a hawk screech. There may be a deeper meaning, but I can’t think of it right now.”
OK, but at least we can spell “neighbors.”
All I know about eagles is that I was absolutely terrified when one entered the stadium at the first game of the WUSA, the first attempt at a women’s pro league in the US. How does an animal that small create such a loud noise?
Earlier today …
The host nations are unbeaten so far, though a draw with Bosnia may feel a bit like a loss to Canada. Cyle Larin provided the equalizer for a dominant Canadian side that had given up a goal in the first half.
You’ll want to check out this collection of photos from the occasion, which includes appearances by Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé. Sadly, Rush was unavailable because they’re on tour. (Were they asked, anyway? Imagine being Canadian and walking out onto the field while Tom Sawyer is played by two-thirds of the actual band along with a superb replacement for the late Neil Peart. I also would’ve liked to have seen Metric, Sarah McLachlan and Kids in the Hall.)
Share
Jeff Rueter
A bit surprising to see Enciso start in the opener, as his injury against Nicaragua seemed to be severe enough to limit his group stage availability. A major boost for Paraguay if he’s truly at match fitness, and undoubtedly will be Tyler Adams’ primary marking duty.
Julio Enciso has recovered from injury in time to start against the hosts. Photograph: Alex Livesey/FIFA/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 20.46 EDT
Pre-match mailbag I. “Paraguay vs the US. A country still scarred by a 19th century civil war, with a contentiously liberal approach to gun ownership, and a history of venerating renegades and outlaws….versus the USA.” – Paul Griffin
Waw Waw (no other name given) was also at the Belgium-Saudi Arabia match in 1994. “RFK, scalped a ticket for $25, behind the goal, Saeed running right at me. Belgium missed a bunch of chances.”
ShareJeff Rueter
A loud ovation at Los Angeles Stadium as the US trot out in all-white for their warmups. First the starters, working on their three-yard passes. The substitutes have yet to take the field.
Earlier, the stadium screens spotted a man dressed as 1994 Alexi Lalas, long hair and goatee in vibrant orange, before cutting to actual 2026 Alexi Lalas, initially hidden by Fox co-commentator Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Alexi saluted the camera, before cutting back to 1994 Alexi, who offered his own salute. Insert your own bald eagle screech.
Paraguay lineup
According to FIFA’s site, the team will line up like so …
Goalkeeper: Orlando Gill
Defense: Junior Alonso, Gustavo Gomez (captain), Omar Aldarete, Juan Jose Caceres
Midfield: Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Damian Bobadilla
Forward: Antonio Sanabria, Julio Enciso
According to our team guide, which correctly predicted the 11 players who’ll start, they’ll line up in more of a 4-2-3-1, with Cubas and Bobadilla making up the “2” while outstanding attacker Enciso is in more of a No. 10 role between Almiron, who had a long stint at Newcastle United between tenures with Atlanta United, and Gomez. That leaves Sanabria as the front-runner.
ShareJeff Rueter
Chris Richards is IN
A 100% record on our projected lineup, with Chris Richards getting his wish and cracking the opening lineup. So, a nominal lopsided 3-4-2-1 that plays as a 3-2-5 in attack and a 4-4-2 in defense.
The US fared better against Germany after Malik Tillman dropped deeper into midfield and Weston McKennie played more advanced. I would expect similar today, though I wouldn’t discount the potential for something closer to a 4-1-4-1 with Robinson and Freeman operating like full-backs, Tyler Adams behind an attacking line (left to right) of Pulisic-Tillman-McKennie-Dest, and Folarin Balogun taking whatever service he can get.
A memorial and a warning
Early in the 2022 World Cup, a bit of shocking news came across. US journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the tournament. There was no inkling that he was ill.
His wife, epidemiologist Céline Gounder, has posted a remembrance along with a stark warning about disease preparedness or lack thereof.
SharePreamble
To grasp the significance of the World Cup returning to the US of A, consider this …
In much of the world, association football fans are born, not made. Children typically have a favorite club before they can speak, whether they know it or not.
In the USA, association football fans are often converts. And a lot of us have origin stories.
Which is why I’m starting my contributions to these proceedings with something from my inbox from Peter Rehwaldt in Kansas City, who describes living in an apartment building with some Dutch students during the 1982 World Cup, when the only coverage they could find was on a Spanish-language station in Chicago:
“The three of us took over the common lounge area, and since none of us could speak Spanish, we just turned off the sound,” Peter writes. “The Dutch guys knew a lot of the players, and would give their own play-by-play commentary, which was often both hilarious and not fit for a family setting. In short, World Cup 1982 was a blast.”
Happily for Peter, the Netherlands chose the Kansas City Current’s practice facility as their US home base. (The Current stand sixth in the NWSL at the moment.)
That year was pivotal for me as well. I discovered to my horror that my summer camp experience took place during most of the World Cup. My mother clipped the scores out of the newspaper each day and dropped in the mail, and I had a notebook on which I tracked the group standings. I got home in time to see the final.
In 1994, when I could afford tickets, I found a game I could attend. That’s how I ended up seeing the goal of the tournament, when Saudi Arabia’s Saeed Al-Owairan slalomed through the Belgian defense and scored.
And yet, seven years later, association football was all but dead again. Major League Soccer was hanging by a thread. The first attempt at a women’s league had started well but would soon collapse.
Then came 2002, the best World Cup run any living US citizen has seen, unless that person is roughly 100-110 years old and happened to be in Uruguay at a young age.
Since then, the sport has gone onward and upward. At my age, kids were ridiculed for following soccer. Today, when I do substitute teaching assignments, people argue with me over Messi vs. Ronaldo or Real Madrid vs. Barcelona.
It’s easy to be cynical about this World Cup. Being ambivalent seems perfectly rational. This country may only be unified by one thing …
Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi works his way through the New York Red Bulls defense. Photograph: Peter Joneleit/AP
Messi, of course. Ronaldo? Really?
The last World Cup showed that this sport had support in the US. The attendance records still stand.
This one won’t be as special. But at least it reminds us of the days when it became cool to support soccer.
(Yes, soccer. We’re going for a non-pedantic stance at the moment.)
ShareWhat to expect from ParaguayJulio Enciso celebrates scoring with Miguel Almirón during World Cup qualifying. Photograph: César Olmedo/Reuters
Paraguay earned their place on football’s greatest stage by going back to their roots: defensive strength and collective intensity. For years the team tried to play a possession-based game without succeeding in either defence or attack. Then, in August 2024, Gustavo Alfaro arrived with a clear message from day one: “Paraguayan DNA, intensity and clean sheets. That’s what will take us to the World Cup.” He was not wrong.
More from Christian Pérez and Óscar Gómez:
There will be no rousing Hollywood pep talk from Mauricio Pochettino ahead of today’s USMNT World Cup opener. He and his players are trusting nearly two years of work since he took the helm – plus all of the reasons that got them into the sport in the first place.
“The most important [thing] is not to be disconnected with your emotional relationship with the game,” Pochettino said. “They need to think tomorrow and play like they are a child – with no pressure, with no responsibility.”
ShareFolarin the focal point
The likely starter at striker for the United States will be key to how the team builds up in attack. Jeff Rueter on what we saw from Balogun in the pre-World Cup friendlies:
ShareWill Chris Richards play?
Most of the conversation surrounding the United States’ buildup to this tournament centered on the health of Chris Richards. The center-back has proven to be an anchor for the US, and the team has looked defensively shaky without him.
He is back in full training and available for selection, but will he play? He spoke about his chances this week:
SharePochettino’s message: Relax
“I was talking with a good friend that won the World Cup in 1986 with Argentina,” said Mauricio Pochettino yesterday. “He said to me, ‘in relaxation, you become concentrated and focused.’ I think we try to be very professional in every single aspect of our preparation by creating a very good atmosphere where the player can feel comfortable and to embrace and, not to learn, but to understand what we expect”
Read more:
Share
Alexander Abnos
We are here at SoFi Los Angeles Stadium, at long last.
Not that anyone cares about journalist’s struggled getting into games, but the security situation outside is leaving a lot to be desired. There is one working x-ray machine for the entire media contingent, and security staff are individually inspecting every bag that goes through. It’s taking a while, and it’s hot. And there is no water in the media workroom.
….But we’re here now! And that’s all that matters.
We’ll be here for live coverage soon. In the meantime, here’s Alex Abnos on the buildup to today’s game:
Mauricio Pochettino paused. The microphone signal flickered. He tried, for a second time, to say a few things to the 5,500 fans who had gathered in the sun Monday at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California – the United States’ World Cup home base – for an open training session. Nothing. Then something. More choppy audio. By the time things came back online, he had developed a quip.
“We are in the greatest country in the world,” he said in his Rioplatense-accented English. “But the technology does not work.”
Pochettino’s adaptation to the US soccer scene has not been without hiccups. The Argentinian arrived on a $6m-per-year contract (the largest outlay for a coach in US Soccer history) with a résumé featuring some of the most famous clubs and players in the world. His job: to lead a nation more known for excellence in other sports to a historic finish at a World Cup they would co-host.
You can read the full report below: