USA vs. Paraguay, American Soccer Saturday Night: Preview, How to Watch, OPEN THREAD

Who: USA vs. Paraguay

When: Saturday, June 11 at 7:00pm

Available TV: FOX Sports 1, Univision, Univision Deportes

Available Streaming: Fox Sports GO, Univision Deportes, fuboTV

A poor opening 2-0 loss to Colombia was followed up by a strong 4-0 win over Costa Rica by the US men’s national team in the Copa América Centenario. A US win will see them advance to the quarterfinals. A draw should be enough to advance, barring a Costa Rica demolition of Colombia. Paraguay must win to have any hope of escaping the group. The stage is set for a pressure packed evening in Philadelphia.

What to Watch For:

Paraguay is a resolute team defensively, and it won’t be easy for the US to break them down. They won’t be able to strictly defend though, as they know that a win is a must to survive in the tournament. Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes will be able to use their pace to open them up, and create opportunities for themselves and others.

Watch out for Paraguay’s forward Dario Lezcano of FC Ingolstadt 04 of the Bundesliga. He has four goals in eight national team appearances, but has yet to score in this tournament. He scored in each of Paraguay’s last three World Cup qualifiers. He’s not incredibly tall, but he’s dangerous on set pieces and crosses due to his leaping ability.

Here’s the starting lineup for the US, a familiar one from recent games:

Predictions:

It won’t be easy, but the US will find a way to get through this. I think Paraguay will find a goal on a set piece early, but the US will rally to score in the second half and get the 1-1 draw that will be enough to see them advance to the quarterfinals.

What do you think? Join us in the comments...