USMNT vs Paraguay prediction, projected lineups, and how to watch

The 2026 World Cup is almost upon us, especially now that the USMNT is about to play its final two games of the 2025 calendar year. The first game is set for Saturday when the Americans play Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettino’s team is on a three-match unbeaten run, finally showing some promise and building some momentum ahead of the World Cup. However, they will be challenged by Paraguay, which is also preparing for next summer.

Following a concerning loss to South Korea in September, the U.S. has turned things around. A switch by Pochettino to a three-back system has yielded a win over Japan, a draw with Ecuador, and a win over Australia. However, it’s not a stretch to say that the USMNT’s biggest tests of the year await with the games against Paraguay and Uruguay.

Saturday’s opponent, Paraguay, is coming off a successful World Cup qualification campaign. Granted, seven wins, seven draws, and four losses were only good for sixth place in CONMEBOL qualifying. But it was good enough to make it into the field of 48, getting Paraguay to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.

This will be the first time the USMNT and Paraguay have played each other since 2018. The U.S. won that March 2018 friendly 1-0. They were also victorious in a 1-0 win over Paraguay during the 2016 Copa América despite playing most of the second half with 10 players.

How to Watch USMNT vs Paraguay

Time: Saturday, November 15, 5:00 PM, ET

Venue: Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania

TV/streaming: TNT and HBOMax in English | Telemundo, Universo and Peacock in Spanish

USMNT vs Paraguay Projected Lineup

While it seems like Pochettino is starting to put the pieces together for next year’s World Cup, this will not be the USMNT at full strength. Injuries and circumstances at club level will leave the U.S. without the likes of Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Chris Richards, Tim Weah, and Weston McKennie for the November window. All seven are potential starts, leaving some uncertainty as to how the USMNT will lineup against Paraguay.

USMNT Lineup (3-4-3, right to left)

Matt Freese (GK) - Miles Robinson, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream - Sergiño Dest, Aidan Morris, Tanner Tessmann, Max Arfsten - Brenden Aaronson, Folarin Balgoun, Gio Reyna

Paraguay Lineup (4-2–3-1, right to left)

Roberto Fernandez (GK) - Juan Caceres, Gustavo Gomez, Omar Alderete, Junior Alonso - Damian Bobadilla, Andres Cubas - Hugo Cuenca, Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron - Antonio Sanabria

USMNT vs Paraguay prediction

Paraguay should be a good test for the U.S., especially since Pochettino’s side is missing several key figures. The South American side has just two losses in its last 14 matches, although one of those came in a friendly against South Korea last month. That stretch also includes victories over Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in World Cup qualifying matches, so Paraguay can compete against high-level teams.

Defensively, Paraguay has been particularly strong. They have a veteran backline that’s helped them to keep seven clean sheets in their last 14 matches. Only four times in those 14 matches has their opponent scored multiple goals. On the other hand, both Japan and South Korea scored two goals against them in friendlies last month.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has come on strong on both ends lately. The three-back formation has helped to solidify them defensively, while the Americans have shown some grit and determination to manufacture goals on the attacking end. Even with key players missing, the USMNT has some potential match-winners, not to mention plenty of players with a point to prove, which should help push the Americans over the top.

Prediction: USA 2, Paraguay 1