USA and Paraguay Set for Friendly Match Amid Player Injuries

Chester, Pennsylvania — The U.S. men’s national soccer team is preparing to face Paraguay in a friendly match on November 14, 2025, at Subaru Park. This match marks a tactical showdown between Argentine coaches Mauricio Pochettino of the U.S. team and Gustavo Alfaro of Paraguay.

The American squad, co-hosting the World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, faces challenges due to injuries. Key players Tyler Adams, from Bournemouth, and Sean Zawadzki, from Columbus Crew, are sidelined, prompting Pochettino to call up Timmy Tillman from Los Angeles FC.

Other injured players include Weston McKennie, Antonnee Robinson, and forward Cristian Pulisic, further diminishing the potential of the U.S. team, often referred to as the “Stars and Stripes.” In previous friendlies, the United States defeated Japan 2-0 but lost to South Korea by the same score.

On the other side, Paraguay welcomes the return of forward Julio Enciso from Strasbourg, who had been unavailable since July due to knee surgery. With Enciso’s addition, Alfaro’s roster is nearly complete, aiming for a win after a 2-2 draw with Japan and a 0-2 loss to South Korea in September.

Matías Galarza, a midfielder from River Plate, expressed confidence, stating, ‘We are prepared to become champions, and we approach these friendlies as a World Cup.’ Paraguay, which last participated in the World Cup in 2010, qualified for the 2026 tournament directly by finishing sixth in the South American qualifiers with 28 points, ten behind Argentina.

Next Tuesday, November 18, Paraguay will meet Mexico, while the U.S. team prepares to face Uruguay.

Probable lineups for the match include:

United States: Matt Freese; Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Sergiño Dest; Tanner Tessmann, Cristian Roldán, Brendan Aaronson, Aidan Morris; Folarin Balogun and Gio Reyna. Coach: Mauricio Pochettino.

Paraguay: Roberto Fernández (Orlando Gil); Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso, Juan Cáceres; Andrés Cubas, Diego Gómez, Matías Galarza, Miguel Almirón; Antonio Sanabria and Julio Enciso. Coach: Gustavo Alfaro.

The match will take place at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania, at 5:00 local time (10:00 GMT).