Congratulations to USA, and to Jürgen Klinsmann, who’s copped a lot of criticism. They deserved it tonight – they were better than Paraguay. A slight blip with the Yedlin red card, but Paraguay never made their extra man count.
We’re going to wrap this blog up now – our game report will be up shortly. Thanks for reading.
Brad Friedel on commentary was quick to praise John Brooks tonight. He was great – very solid in central defence.
USA celebrate on the pitch. They’ve been good tonight – they came through a tricky situation with relative ease. Paraguay, unfortunately, were disappointing: they didn’t test Guzan enough once USA went down to 10 men.
Full-time: USA 1-0 Paraguay
USA reach the quarter-finals of the Copa America!
90 min +5: Final corner for Paraguay. And it’s into Guzan’s hands.
90 min +4: It’s not happening for Paraguay. USA are fine. Even if Paraguay do score and this match were to finish 1-1, it’d take a miracle in the Colombia-Costa Rica game for USA not to go through.
90 min +3: The USA fans are making a din. They’re going through to the quarter-finals.
90 min +1: Paraguay need two goals. They’re not going to get them. Another big header by John Brooks, and USA clear the danger.
90 min: USA have done so well in defence since going down to 10. Paraguay have barely created anything. Six minutes of stoppage time!
88 min: Another clearing header from John Brooks – he’s been great tonight. But Paraguay sling it back, and the ball is in the net! But Benitez is whistled for offside! It was the right call: USA had pushed out quickly.
87 min: Jones is booked for a late foul on Samudio. It’s been so physical tonight. Paraguay really pressing here.
Updated
86 min: Beckerman tries a left-footer from 30 yards, and it’s just over the bar! Close from the RSL man.
85 min: Ayala shoots, but again, it’s over the bar.
84 min: Paraguay are running out of time, and they still haven’t really created too much. But this is a good position: Beckerman tripped Rojas, 35 yards from goal.
81 min: It comes to nothing, and now Almiron is whistled for a foul. Final change for USA: Beckerman is on for Bobby Wood.
80 min: Iturbe has shown some nice touches, but he can’t quite come up with the final flourish. Ten minutes to go, and Paraguay need two. Chance here – but Guzan denies Benitez! Kick save from the Villa man, and it’s a corner.
79 min: Paraguay really forcing it now, but USA are holding firm. Lezcano’s header – over the bar!
Here’s Daniel Vitale: “The problem with ol’ Dr Joe is that he takes the ref side on everything. No ref is ever wrong in his eyes. Not that Yedlin didn’t deserve his second card, but I think a lot of the frustration is that refs call it different every game. And not on judgement calls, on a lot of the very basic elements of the game.”
78 min: Crude challenge from Orozco on Iturbe, and he’s booked.
77 min: USA have actually done pretty well with 10 men. Paraguay haven’t created much, even though they’ve had most of the ball. Ayala is booked for bringing down Zardes.
76 min: Ayala’s outswinger is headed away by Wood, and the crowd cheers.
75 min: Jurgen Klinsman is on his feet. And so are the supporters in Philly. Iturbe runs past Zardes on the right side, but his ball into the box is dreck. Paraguay have found themselves in some decent positions, but the final ball hasn’t always been too clever. But they’ve forced another corner.
74 min: Good, solid defending from USA, and Rojas’s defending is out for a goal kick. Big hand for Alejandro Bedoya, who’s replaced by Graham Zusi.
72 min: Six yellows have been shown tonight. It’s been hard fought. Paraguay have pushed right up on the halfway line, and USA are being forced to defend. Paraguay have used all their substitutes, remember.
71 min: Yellow card for Rojas. Now Bobby Wood getting involved – and is that a yellow for him, too? It’s all getting a little emotional out there.
Here’s Kevin Farrell: “Wood isn’t exactly working too well as a target man to hold up the ball and kill time – every time it goes up to him it’s coming back just as fast. Still the defense is solid and the US might get one on the counter...”
69 min: We continue, for now. Paraguay have 20 minutes to save their Copa America campaign.
67 min: And now the referee is injured! It’s all happening! The game has stopped momentarily. It looks as though Julio Bascunan has hurt his calf. He’s receiving treatment.
66 min: USA repel the initial ball, but Orozco can’t prevent another corner. Ayala’s outswinger is headed powerfully away by John Brooks, not for the first time.
65 min: This game is really hotting up. Such pace to it now. Paraguay force a corner.
63 min: Change for Paraguay: Benitez on for Sanabria. But what a counter-attack from USA: Wood pierced the defence with a driving run, and found Zardes, free on the left, but he took too long, lost his footing, and Villar smothered. Big, big chance. Great play from Wood; less good from Zardes.
62 min: Oh, Zardes! Massive chance to make it two – and he couldn’t take it! Villar did well, but what an opportunity for the hosts on the break.
60 min: Nice play from Paraguay, and it goes wide to Ayala, but his cross is too long. The crowd is into it, now, too. We have a game on!
58 min: Dr Joe Machnik, Fox’s Fifa match commissioner, says he has no problem with the dismissal of Yedlin. Now Bradly is booked for dissent! Steady now, USA. No more red cards, please!
56 min: You can sense the nerves in the crowd. Johnson clips Iturbe, and Paraguay send the big men forward for the free kick. They needn’t have bothered: Ayala sends it straight into the arms of Guzan.
54 min: Gonzalez hits one from distance, but it’s well wide. Another change, and Celso Ortiz is replaced by Rodrigo Rojas.
53 min: It looks as though Orozco has gone into that right-back slot, and Wood will be the furthest forward player. They’re going to have to play with a man down for 40 minutes. This is a test for USA.
50 min: Well, now USA have a job to do. And a change immediately: Orozco is on for Dempsey, of all people. I just can’t believe Yedlin made that second challenge. It was so reckless. Literally 30 second after his first yellow card! Unbelievable.
49 min: Well, how about that! Yedlin was maybe unfortunate with the first one, but it was literally 30 seconds later, and he just dived in, late, on Samudio! A clear foul: Julio Bascunan had no hesitation in brandishing another yellow, and then red. Oh, DeAndre!
Updated
RED CARD! (Yedlin, USA 48)
Oh my word! Yedlin again!
Updated
47 min: Yedlin is yellow carded, and he can’t believe it. Almiron looked like he’d overrun it, and Yedlin slid in to take the ball. Did he go in studs up? Maybe. But it looked a harsh call.
We're back!
46 min: Change for Paraguay. Juan Iturbe is on for Balbuena. An attacker for a centre-back. Looks like Paraguay are going for it. They’ve got 45 minutes to save their campaign.
Landon is happy:
Klinsmann moved #USMNT from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 and asked Jones/Bradley to stay central in the midfield and organize. Has worked very well so far
— Landon Donovan (@landondonovan) June 12, 2016
Dempsey’s goal bodes well for USA:
Teams who have scored first at #CopaAmerica: W13 - D1 - L0. #USAvPAR
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2016
USA’s goal was nice. Gyasi did well on the left to tease Da Silva, and his cross was super: on a plate for Dempsey, who slammed home left-footed from 15 yards. That’s 51 international goals for Deuce.
As it stands, USA are in the last eight. A great first 30 minutes for USA, but Paraguay roused themselves after going behind, and Lezcano probably should have equalised right on half-time.
Half-time: USA 1-0 Paraguay
That’s the half.
45 min +1: Oh, what a chance for Paraguay! Lezcano ran in beyond the backline, away from the USA defence on the right side, but Guzan came out to block! Big moment in the game: huge opportunity for Lezcano. Guzan made himself big and did well, but that should have been 1-1.
45 min: Bradley with it, but it doesn’t beat the first man.
44 min: Corner to USA, but it could have been more had Wood not lost his footing at the crucial moment. It’s USA’s first corner of the game.
41 min: Samudio went down as if he was caught late by Yedlin, and it did look as though Yedlin caught him with arm, albeit unintentionally. No free kick for Paraguay, and the crowd howl their derision at what they thought was play-acting.
40 min: Paraguay have really pushed up, and are enjoying the edge in possession and territory. But that’s a sloppy square pass, and USA break with pace. Dempsey tries to cross from the left, but it’s blocked, and then Villar claims as Yedlin came in on the back post.
39 min: Almiron has shown some nice touches for Paraguay, and his side have definitely improved since the goal. USA on the back foot just now.
37 min: Ayala cuts inside and goes for goal, but it’s over the bar. Ayala wanted a corner, but none given.
36 min: USA hack it clear after Gonzalez’s shot was lame in the extreme. USA have just lost some of the momentum since the goal.
35 min: Another late clip from Bradley, and it’s another free kick for Paraguay. Too many whistles so far!
33 min: Gonzales shoots from 20 yards, but it’s straight at Guzan. Decent effort.
32 min: Good little spell for Paraguay after the goal, and they come again, but Brooks is across quickly to cover.
31 min: Ayala’s outswinger, and Balbuena wins it, but it’s over the bar. Paraguay do look dangerous from corners, though.
30 min: Samudio takes it, and it flicks off the wall for a corner. Disappointing.
29 min: Now Paraguay attack, and Wood bumps Ayala, about 25 yards from goal. This is a really good shooting chance.
28 min: Jones fed Zardes, who skinned Da Silva, pulled it back, and Dempsey drilled home as the Paraguay defence stood and watched. USA lead!
GOAL! USA 1-0 Paraguay (Dempsey 27)
It had been coming!
26 min: Spell of possession for Paraguay. They could do with some.
24 min: Dempsey with it … just over the bar. It was always rising.
23 min: Handball by Balbuena on the edge of the box after good work by Dempsey, and this is a great shooting position for USA.
22 min: It’s a 50-50 split in possession. It’s been even so far: both teams have shown glimpses of quality.
21 min: USA come again, and Wood shows some nice feet before feeding Yedlin, but the full-back just can’t find the space to shoot, and Paraguay hustle it clear.
19 min: Oh, what a sequence! First, USA attacked, and Dempsey was just crowded out, but then Paraguay broke, and the coaching staff wanted a penalty when Da Silva, was it, went down – no call – and then Guzan had to save from Sanabria! Great cross from the right, Sanabria got free, but Guzan came up big to stop him! Corner for Paraguay, but the whistle goes for a foul.
16 min: It’s been a very watchable, competitive start. Paraguay are feisty: they’re not going to roll over. Samudio finds himself in an advanced position, left side, but his cross is poor, and USA clear.
15 min: Ayala’s ball in, and Guzan punches. Safe enough, and out for a throw.
14 min: Another free kick on the left for Paraguay. It’s been a testy start.
12 min: Paraguay completely messed that up just then. USA got lucky. Where did the defence go to?
Meanwhile, Ortiz is booked for grabbing Zardes’s shirt. Given the way this tournament has started, it’d be zero surprise if we saw a red card today.
11 min: Oh, what a chance for Paraguay! USA attacked, it broke down, and suddenly Paraguay were away with a three on one! Gonzalez had options left and right, and chose Almiron on the left, but Brooks came across to win it! Great saving tackle, but Paraguay should have done much better. A three on one after 11 minutes! Corner to Paraguay, but it’s wasted.
10 min: Nice turn from Dempsey, 40 yards from goal, to get away from Gomez, but the shot was relatively feeble. Well wide. Ramon Diaz, Paraguay’s head coach, is gesticulating wildly: his team have afforded USA too much space so far.
8 min: Ayala’s ball in, and Guzan claims comfortably. That cross was rubbish!
7 min: USA have started well. They’ve definitely enjoyed the territorial advantage, but then Lezcano escapes down the left, and wins a free kick on the left side. Cameron was late, and this is a chance.
5 min: Johnson standing over it, and it’s over the wall, but straight at Villar. Decent effort, but comfortable for the goalie.
4 min: Well, four minutes in, and it’s been entertaining! No sitting back from either side. Dempsey wins a free kick on the left side, and another! That was an intemperate challenge from Balbuena, and it’s a good position for a shot, 30 yards out.
3 min: And Bradley crosses it straight out of play. Doh!
Updated
2 min: Early foul from Jermaine Jones on Lozcano, and Paraguay can toss it in. And Lozcano was almost on to it! A moment of panic in the back before USA hack it clear. And now Wood is pulled back down the other end as USA break! Good chance from the set piece for the hosts. Lively start, this!
And we're off!
1 min: USA in their mildly disgusting black (or is it extremely dark navy) away strip. Paraguay, who have advanced from the group stage in eight of the last nine tournaments, in classic red and white stripes. Like a much, much better Sunderland.
All done. Now just the handshakes, and we’re away.
The players are out on the pitch. Time for the anthems.
Updated
Bryan Graham is at Lincoln Financial Field. He writes: “The stands appear alarmingly empty from the press box with roughly 10 minutes till kickoff, particularly in the near-empty middle tier. But with thousands more outside wrapping up all-day tailgates in the Lincoln Financial Field parking lots and nearby FDR Park, expect a late-arriving (and well-lubricated) crowd.”
Interestingly, the last time these two sides met in competitive football was in 2007, in the second group game at the Copa America in Venezuela. Édgar Barreto put Paraguay ahead in the 30th minute, and although Ricardo Clark equalized, Paraguay scored twice after the break through Oscar Rene Cardozo and Salvador Cabañas. They went through to the last eight, and USA went home with three losses from three.
We’re about 15 minutes away from kick-off. Predictions? I say 3-1 USA, but what do I know?
Jenny Taft on Fox says the mood in the USA camp is “light”. Brad Guzan says: “The hardest part of today is waiting for the game to start.”
Temperatures in the 90s in Philly, but there’s some cooling wind now it’s getting later. The heat shouldn’t be a problem.
We know how USA will line up: 4-3-3, with Dempsey the focal point in attack. But what of Paraguay? We think they’ll go 4-4-2, with Sanabria and Lezcano up front, and Ayala and Ortiz starting wide. They need to win tonight, otherwise they’re toast.
A good omen: USA are unbeaten in three matches at Lincoln Financial Field.
Updated
Here’s how Group A looks, as a reminder: Colombia have won two out of two, and are already through to the last eight. USA just need a point to join them, but Paraguay could go through if they win. Costa Rica aren’t technically out of it, but it would take a miracle for them to qualify: that 4-0 thumping on Tuesday spoiled everything for them.
USA could go through as group winners, but they’d need Colombia to lose tonight, which is probably unlikely. The most credible scenario would see USA go through in second place, and play the Group B winners, which would likely be Brazil. And that would take place at 8pm ET at MetLife Stadium on Friday.
What a Saturday of international football it’s been. If you’ve missed it, here’s our rundown:
- Albania-Switzerland: low quality, reasonably boring.
- Slovakia-Wales: low quality, reasonably entertaining.
- England-Russia: Russia spectacularly bad, and England still can’t win.
And it’s not over. USA-Paraguay should be competitive, plus there’s Colombia-Costa Rica coming up at 9.30pm ET from Houston. Colombia have been impressive so far: the best team in this competition, along with Argentina and Mexico.
Tonight's teams
Klinsi’s team are unchanged for the third straight game. Paraguay make three changes: Balbuena for Bruno Valdez in defense, Ayala for the suspended Romero, and Sanabria for Benitez up front.
USA: Guzan, Yedlin, Cameron, Brooks, Johnson, Bedoya, Bradley, Jones, Zardes, Wood, Dempsey.
Paraguay: Villar, Da Silva, Gomez, Balbuena, Samudio, Ortiz, Ayala, Gonzalez, Almiron, Sanabria, Lezcano.
Referee: Julio Bascunan (Chile)
Hello and welcome
All USA need to do to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa America, and a probable tie with Brazil in New York on Friday, is not lose to Paraguay. Simple enough, but then again, you never know with Jürgen Klinsmann’s team. They were disappointing against Colombia, but much improved against Costa Rica … who knows what we’ll get today? Paraguay are doughty and defensive, but perhaps lack quality in attack, although they played well in the second half against Colombia, and Victor Ayala did score a brilliant goal from long range. They’re no minnows, and can make life awkward for the hosts.
Kick off is just after 7pm ET from Lincoln Financial Field – and it’s steamy in Philadelphia. It’s on!
Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, read why it’s a simple equation for Klinsmann and co:
It’s been a typical tournament for the US men’s national team. Questions abound about Jürgen Klinsmann’s choices. The team has looked at times bereft of attacking ideas. And yet here we are, with one game to go in the group stage of the Copa América, and the math is as simple as it always seems to be: win (or draw), and they’re in.
Standing in their way are Paraguay – according to Fifa and their rankings the weakest team in the group, for whatever that’s worth. It ought to be a straightforward affair for the US, and there are encouraging signs that they are settling into Klinsmann’s latest tactical preference following their 4-0 thrashing of Costa Rica on Monday. (Although it should be said that the US are neither quite as good as that result – they always beat Costa Rica at home – nor as bad as people said following their 2-0 loss to Colombia.)
Despite having to rely for much of the first half on a combination of gritty and occasionally last-gasp defending with few pastures of relief against an opponent dominant in possession, to their credit the US kept Costa Rica’s industry from producing much; they surrendered few clear-cut chances and, as the game wore on, pressured the Ticos into turnovers in their own half.
