The United States men's national soccer team will open its 2026 World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 12 in a key group stage match [1, 2].
Midfielder Cristian Roldan spoke on June 9 at the US training camp, urging the team to be less "honest" and more tactically savvy in managing games and fouls. He said, "I think being a little bit more savvy, understanding that being too honest at times is probably too much of a fault for us. We need to be a little bit savvier in the way we manage games, the way we take fouls, stay on the ground a little longer, you know?" [1]
Roldan highlighted Paraguay's confrontational and streetwise style as an example the US could learn from. "I think these are things that we can learn from different nations, but Paraguay does a really good job of that," he said [2]. The teams previously met in a friendly in November 2025, with the US winning 2-1 in a match that ended with a stoppage-time brawl [1, 2].
The US is under pressure to top a World Cup group that also includes Australia and Turkey [1, 2]. The US lost a warm-up friendly 3-1 to Germany on June 6, after which coach Mauricio Pochettino urged players to "learn to play right on the edge of the rules" [1, 2].
Roldan, 31, who earned his 47th US cap this year after debuting in 2017, is one of the most experienced players in the 26-man squad [1, 2]. Though unlikely to start against Paraguay, he sees his role as an enforcer who can energize the team and add intensity when needed. "It seems really funny to say, but being a dog in there, right? I think in the end, that’s what got me here – being intense... make sure that I energise our group entirely," he said [1].
The US team will face Paraguay in their first World Cup match on June 12, beginning their push to advance from a challenging group [1, 2].