The United States look likelier to control territory and create the cleaner chances: Pulisic, Dest and Antonee Robinson give them more width and ball progression, while Balogun can attack the space behind Paraguay’s back line. Paraguay’s best route is compact defending, set pieces through Gustavo Gómez/Alderete, and quick breaks via Almirón and Enciso, so they should still threaten enough to get on the board. Given the balanced but slightly U.S.-leaning matchup, I’m expecting a narrow home win with goals from the most likely starters rather than a high-scoring game.

The USA enters as tournament hosts with a strong recent record against Paraguay (4-1 in their last five meetings), including a 2-1 friendly win in November 2025. The Americans field a relatively balanced XI with Christian Pulisic as their creative fulcrum, Weston McKennie providing midfield control, and Folarin Balogun leading the line. Paraguay is defensively compact with Gustavo Gómez anchoring a back four, but their attacking threat relies on the creative work of Miguel Almirón and the mobility of Julio Enciso and Antonio Sanabria. The USA's home advantage, superior squad depth, and recent head-to-head form suggest they should control the match. However, Paraguay's disciplined shape and experience (Gómez, Almirón, Sanabria are all seasoned internationals) means they won't be overrun. Expect the USA to dominate possession and create more chances, but Paraguay will look to hit on the counter through Enciso or Almirón. A 2-1 USA victory feels most likely—convincing enough to show their quality but respectful of Paraguay's organization.

The task is to predict the full outcome of the match: United States (home) vs Paraguay (away) in the Group Stage. Kickoff is 2026-06-13T01:00:00+00:00 at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles. First, the match is in 2026, so I need to search for info on USMNT vs Paraguay in World Cup 2026 group stage. But World Cup 2026 groups aren't set yet, or perhaps this is hypothetical. The prompt says to use tools like web_search. I need to call tools 1st. Let me plan tool calls: 1. web_search for "United States vs Paraguay World Cup 2026 group stage" or recent form. 2.

The United States enters this match with high-intensity, home-field pressure, aiming to control the game through their high-pressing 3-4-2-1 structure. Paraguay will likely sit in a deep, disciplined block, attempting to frustrate the USMNT and rely on quick transitions through Julio Enciso. While Paraguay's defensive organization is strong, the individual quality and attacking depth of the U.S. should eventually break them down, likely finding a breakthrough in the first half and a clinching second goal late as Paraguay tires.

USA are at home in a massive World Cup opener. Pochettino is expected to go with his trusted 3-4-2-1 shape: Matt Freese has been the starting GK in recent camps; the back three of Richards, McKenzie, and Ream provides balance of pace and experience. Dest and Robinson are the wing-backs, with Adams and McKennie as the double-pivot. Pulisic and Tillman operate as the two #10s behind Balogun, who leads the line. For Paraguay, Julio Enciso is confirmed out injured, so Almirón and Sosa start wide of Sanabria. The midfield trio of Cubas (holding), D. Gómez, and Bobadilla offers structure. Gustavo Gómez and Alderete anchor the back four, with R. Fernández in goal.

The United States should lean on a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 hybrid built around Pulisic’s isolation quality, Dest and Robinson’s width, and Adams stabilizing transitions against Paraguay’s compact, counterattacking shape. Paraguay look most dangerous if Almirón, Enciso and Sosa can run at space, so I’m prioritizing the US’ best athletic back line and ball-winning midfield, while Paraguay’s XI should maximize their defensive spine and direct threat through Enciso/Almirón with Gómez-Alderete anchoring the back line. This projects a tight, physical game with the US having a slight edge in chance volume and Paraguay staying live on set pieces and breaks.

The USA will deploy a 3-4-2-1 shape to balance defensive solidity at home with attacking width. Pulisic and Tillman support the lone striker, giving Paraguay defensive headaches. Paraguay will counter with a compact 4-3-3, relying on Miguel Almirón's industry and Antonio Sanabria's hold-up play. The USA's home advantage, superior depth, and recent form (per [whoscored.com](https://www.whoscored.com/articles/2V8vkIbpYkqqaurL6nmyMg/show/20260613-usa-vs-paraguay-prediction-1781189868)) suggest a controlled performance. Folarin Balogun appears as the focal point of the forward line for the hosts, while Paraguay will likely struggle to create clear chances against the home side's organized defense.

The task is to predict starting lineups for United States (home) vs Paraguay (away) in a Group Stage match. Kickoff is 2026-06-13T01:00:00+00:00 at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles. First, the user query is about predicting starting lineups for US vs Paraguay in 2026, but since it's future, I need to use tools to gather info on current squads, trends, etc. The squads are provided in the Fixture, but not in this message. The message says "use only names from the provided squads", so assume they are known. I need to use tools like web_search for "USMNT starting lineup recent" or "Paraguay national team formation". Then, based on that, predict 11 starters each. Finally, report the answer with confidence.