USMNT vs Paraguay
Can they do it again? It was quite the show in Chester last week. Reyna with the opener and Balogun with the winner. Just what the doctor ordered. Two goals that must’ve meant a lot to them individually, but also ones that invite us all to be a bit more optimistic as we close out 2025. It’s been a year of trial and error for Poch and his pupils, but maybe, just maybe, we’re finally starting to see the results of all the growing pains. Beating Paraguay is no easy feat, considering they finished tied in points with the likes of Colombia and Brazil in World Cup Qualifiers, and they’re notoriously one of the toughest sides to crack in South America. Still, the real test will come tonight against 2x World Champions Uruguay. Impossible not to think back to Copa America and how much that last group stage game hurt. Today won’t give us the chance to get revenge exactly, but it would be the perfect victory to send us into 2026 with measured optimism.
Photography by: Rodolfho Chona
On a chilly night along the Delaware River, the U.S. men’s national team found exactly what it’s been searching for during this World Cup buildup: clarity, confidence, and a spark from a player who once felt destined to provide it. Gio Reyna, making his first start for club or country in two months, needed just four minutes to remind everyone what he can still be. His early header—yes, his first professional headed goal—set the tone for a 2–1 win over Paraguay at Subaru Park, the latest sign that Mauricio Pochettino’s reshaped U.S. side is gaining real traction.
Reyna’s opener came from the kind of recycled set-piece moment the U.S. has too often wasted. Max Arfsten, increasingly influential as a left-sided wingback in Pochettino’s new three-at-the-back system, whipped in a teasing cross after the initial corner had been blocked. Reyna rose, flicked it off the underside of the bar, and exhaled. The timing felt poetic—two days removed from his 23rd birthday, finally healthy, finally starting, finally scoring.
The momentum didn’t last long. Six minutes later, Miguel Almirón—always a danger in space—lashed a first-time cross toward the penalty spot. Alex Arce met it cleanly, slipping behind Miles Robinson to head home his first international goal and level the match.
From there, the game settled into a choppy, bruising midfield battle. The U.S. held more of the ball, with Sergiño Dest buzzing down the right and Reyna drifting between pockets of space, but Paraguay defended with the bite of a team preparing for its first World Cup since 2010. Matt Freese, one of two Philadelphia Union products in the lineup alongside Brenden Aaronson, had to stay sharp as the visitors searched for counterpunches.
The breakthrough returned in the 71st minute, born from the kind of high-press turnover Pochettino has demanded. Diego Luna, just four minutes into his shift, charged down a loose touch, and suddenly the U.S. was sprinting the other way. Reyna drove toward the box, hit a low cross that deflected off Damián Bobadilla, and Folarin Balogun pounced—hammering his third goal in as many starts and his eighth overall for the U.S.
It wasn’t the last flashpoint. A late sideline tussle over a ball out of play escalated into a brief melee, with both benches spilling onto the touchline. Punches may have flown, shirts were definitely grabbed, and emotions boiled over. No red cards followed, but what could’ve been embarrassment instead revealed something Pochettino has been quietly cultivating: a team willing to fight for each other.
With Uruguay looming on Tuesday and the World Cup roster announcement creeping closer, performances matter more than results. But the results keep coming anyway. Four straight unbeaten matches against World Cup–bound opponents. A system that finally seems to fit. A core of players who look sharper with each window.
