The U.S. men’s national team wrapped up its two pre-World Cup friendlies confidently—with an impassioned 3–2 win over Senegal and a nevertheless-positive 2–1 loss to Germany this week. Now, all U.S. attentions turn to soccer’s grandest affair, taking place on home soil for the first since 1994 and kicking off on Friday against Paraguay in Los Angeles.
As the U.S. pursues a historic run in front of home supporters at the largest-ever edition of the tournament, the team couldn’t be in a better position for success. The team’s talent has never been more high-caliber, with a record-setting 100% of the squad competing in the top divisions of their respective domestic club leagues. USMNT superstar forward Christian Pulisic, otherwise known as “Captain America,” has finally returned to his old self after a long goal-less drought and is firing on all cylinders, and the squad is showing signs of a real identity, one defined by hunger, swagger and a little bit of scrappiness.
“It was an amazing challenge for us, to see how we react, how we show character, how we show togetherness, how we play under pressure,” USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino said after the Germany friendly. “We played against one of the most important teams in the world. I think we need to be happy with that...I am so happy with the commitment and how the team was.”
Pochettino is ecstatic with the place his team is in, and the USMNT enter Group D play as the clear favorite, ahead of facing Australia and Türkiye in games two and three. Nevertheless, the Argentine boss still has a few questions to answer ahead of Friday’s clash at SoFi Stadium, the main one being his starting lineup.
Here, Sports Illustrated predicts the USMNT’s starting lineup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Paraguay.
USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Paraguay—World Cup Opener
After clocking a full 90 minutes in the friendly against Germany on Saturday, it is evident that Matt Freese is Pochettino’s anticipated starting goalkeeper. The 27-year-old star for MLS’s New York City FC usurped the starting role from longtime veteran Matt Turner, 31, who was a key starter at the 2022 World Cup.
Pochettino will likely employ a three-back formation on Friday, a set-up he relied upon in the most recent friendlies as well as last fall in the October and November international windows. 21-year-old Alex Freeman, the youngest player on the U.S. squad, has seemingly earned himself a starting spot at the right center back position. He is known as a fullback that can not only slide into a more central position with ease, but also still maintain an attacking mindset, which is integral to the U.S.’s newfound, hungry identity.
After one too many costly errors from center back Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie should replace him in the center of the back line. Both center backs are just substitutes for Chris Richards, though, who is in recovery from an ankle injury suffered last month. Richards, the U.S.’s stalwart on the backline and the 2025 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year, missed both friendlies but is anticipated to be back to full health by Friday’s match, having fully rejoined the team’s training on Monday with no restrictions. Even at full health, though, Richards is not likely to be given the start. He will be eased back into game play, perhaps seeing minutes in the second half.
U.S. captain Tim Ream, who is the oldest player on the roster at 38 years old, will lock down the left center back position after a substantially improved showing against Germany compared to his performance against Senegal. He looked more collected in his play on Saturday, as he sat deeper in his half and even stripped the ball from the German forwards on a couple of occasions.
The midfield will be dominated by bona fide European league stars Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman. Adams, of the Premier League’s Bournemouth, will hold down the defensive midfield position, while combining with Bayer Leverkusen’s Tillman and Juventus’s McKennie, both of whom are more attack-minded, yet extremely versatile. The three will combine masterfully in the center of the pitch; however, expect brief moments of soccer brilliance from Tillman and McKennie out on the wide flanks as well.
Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest have proved themselves as the obvious best choices on the wings. Robinson, whether its his electric speed down the left flank, relentless work rate, or acrobatics (literal backflips), has all the attributes to be a fan favorite this summer. Meanwhile, Dest’s pure savvy and ability to combine with the strikers means he positively needs to be on the pitch from the opening whistle.
Pulisic and Folarin Balogun will be Pochettino’s go-to goal contributors this summer. The way AC Milan’s Pulisic magnetizes the ball to his foot ensures he finds himself in the opponent’s box time and time again, either to create goal-scoring opportunities for himself or the onslaught of teammates that know to be in good positions to receive his inevitably decisive pass. Balogun, on the other hand, appears to need goals as much as air to breathe. The AS Monaco striker scored 19 goals last season across all competitions. He just needs to work on staying onside.
