USMNT vs. Paraguay: Key takeaways from commanding World Cup performance

Balogun is one of several multi-nationals on this USMNT squad. He didn't have to play for the States; he was also eligible to play for England and Nigeria, and both were hungry for his services. He credits the American soccer fandom with playing a key role in his decision-making process.

“I was there [in America] and I just posted a photo with my friends thinking that it was just a holiday picture," Balogun said. "Before I knew it, I just saw loads of comments and people knew I was in America, and I just really felt the love from there."

The U.S. is feeling the love too, Balogun. Two World Cup goals on home soil will do that to a nation.

Alex Freeman looked like the real deal

There were no surprises when USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino named his starting eleven for this match...but the fact that Villarreal defender Alex Freeman wasn't a surprise starter is something of a surprise in itself. 21-year-old Freeman is the youngest player on the USMNT and capped off his 2024 season with just six minutes of professional soccer under his belt. His rise, both in Major League Soccer with Orlando City and in the national team under Pochettino, has been nothing short of meteoric.

It all came to a head here. Freeman started in Pochettino's all-important fullback role and looked utterly ready for primetime. The USMNT doesn't unearth breathtaking prospects like Freeman often: enjoy him while he's on the rise.

Needless goal concession remained a problem

The USMNT has played well in the run-up to this World Cup, but it hasn't exactly played tight. It hasn't kept a clean sheet since it blitzed a heavily-rotated Japan team 2-0 in Columbus in September of 2025. Every other one of its strong performances—against Uruguay in November 2025, against Senegal in May 2026, and against Paraguay today—came with at least one conceded goal to temper the thrill.

That's got to stop. World Cup knockout games are tense affairs, and the USMNT isn't going to be able to score its way out of silly concessions.

The USMNT kept its cool—and kept its promise

The USMNT spoke to the media in advance of this Paraguay match, and many of the questions it answered centered around the team's 2-1 win over Paraguay last November. When asked what he could learn from that experience, defender Alex Freeman was thoughtful and unequivocal.

"I feel like for us, we matched the intensity against Paraguay in the last match, and now it's 'how can we be protagonists and strike first in this game as well?'" said USMNT defender Alex Freeman in training before the match. "We know that in these games, heads can go loose, and you can get out of your headspace and get stupid yellow, red cards, and I think that's what we want to avoid. How can we keep the intensity but also keep our head down?"

He figured it out. The whole team did, really. This game was a far more physical affair than the scoreline would have you believe, but the USMNT never took Paraguay's bait. It earned just one yellow card—a debatable one for midfield destroyer Tyler Adams—all evening. 

The USMNT will continue its World Cup journey on Friday, June 19, against Australia in Seattle, Washington.