Dugout Discussion
13 June 2026 62 comments
TopMarx TopMarx
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The USA, guided by Mauricio Pochettino, are the last of the World Cup co-hosts to make their bow, following Mexico and Canada, who started with a win and a draw respectively.

The Stars and Stripes take on Paraguay in a battle of North America v South America.

It all gets underway at 02:00 BST.

TEAM NEWS

Premier League faces past and present feature for both sides.

Christian Pulisic ($7.0m), Chris Richards ($4.1m), Tim Ream ($3.9m), Tyler Adams ($5.3m), and Antonee Robinson ($5.0m) are among the players lining up for Pochettino’s side, with Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson ($5.7m) among the subs.

For the Paraguayans, Miguel Almiron ($6.0m) and Julio Enciso ($6.6m) are names that may ring a bell or two for fans of FPL, they are joined by Sunderland’s Omar Alderete ($4.1m) and Brighton’s Diego Gomez ($6.8m) in the starting XI. Former West Ham defender Fabian Balbuena ($4.0m) is on the bench.

LINE-UPS

USA XI: Matt Freese, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun

Subs: Turner, Brady, Trusty, Reyna, Pepi, Aaronson, Robinson, Berhalter, Roldan, Arfsten, Wright, Weah, McKenzie, Scally, Zendejas

Paraguay XI: Orlando Gill, Juan José Cáceres, Gustavo Gómez, Omar Alderete, Júnior Alonso, Diego Gómez, Andrés Cubas, Damián Bobadilla, Miguel Almirón, Antonio Sanabria, Julio Enciso

Subs: Fernandez, Olveira, Velazquez, Balbuena, Sosa, Mauricio, Canale, Romero, Arce, Ojeda, Avalos, Galarza, Caballero, Pitta, Maidana



TopMarx Fan of Fantasy Football and Monty Python. "Archimedes out to Socrates, Socrates back to Archimedes, Archimedes out to Heraclitus, he beats Hegel. Heraclitus a little flick, here he comes on the far post, Socrates is there, Socrates heads it in! Socrates has scored! The Greeks are going mad, the Greeks are going mad! Socrates scores, got a beautiful cross from Archimedes. The Germans are disputing it. Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside. Follow them on Twitter

62 Comments Login to Post a Comment
  1. Freshy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    8 hours, 14 mins ago

    USA carves em up for an OG

    1. Captain Mal
      • 1 Year
      7 hours, 24 mins ago

      Great move by Pulisic

    2. lilmessipran
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 22 mins ago

      Captain America

  2. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    8 hours, 11 mins ago

    Paraguay's defence is not the best.

    1. lilmessipran
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 20 mins ago

      Alderete will get Defcon though

      1. NZREDS
        • 12 Years
        5 hours, 34 mins ago

        Hahah, there is that

  3. OverTinker
    • 7 Years
    7 hours, 56 mins ago

    Cristiano Ronaldo to cry at the 2026 World Cup is priced at 1.35 odds. The reason for the tears doesn't matter — whether it's tears of joy after winning the tournament or tears of heartbreak following elimination.

    Cristiano has previously been seen crying at Euro 2024, the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2020, the 2018 World Cup, Euro 2016, the 2014 World Cup, and Euro 2004.

    1. lilmessipran
      • 13 Years
      7 hours, 2 mins ago

      Seems like a banker bet either way

  4. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    7 hours, 50 mins ago

    2-0 Balogun.

    USA tearing Paraguay to pieces.

  5. lilmessipran
    • 13 Years
    7 hours, 31 mins ago

    Seen enough, USA to win this world cup.

  6. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    7 hours, 31 mins ago

    3-0.

    Balogun again just before end of 1st half.

  7. FOREST FOREVER 2
    • 1 Year
    7 hours, 31 mins ago

    USA triple-up was the play for MD1.

    1. PartyTime
      • 4 Years
      6 hours, 15 mins ago

      Triple up can't overstay in our drafts

  8. TopMarx
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • Has Moderation Rights
    • 13 Years
    7 hours, 28 mins ago

    Mauricio Pochettino, he's magic, you know!

  9. Freshy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    7 hours, 26 mins ago

    Every attacker on the States is dominating.
    Evey defender is reading Paraguay attack and breakout.

  10. puma
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 4 Years
    7 hours, 24 mins ago

    What a half. Paraguay are far from world class...but great to see them finally looking great!

  11. CoracAld2831
    • 5 Years
    7 hours, 24 mins ago

    Balogun only 0,9 % owned. Won't be for long probably.

  12. SpaceCadet
    • 12 Years
    7 hours, 23 mins ago

    Pulisic on one assist so far?

    1. puma
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      6 hours, 20 mins ago

      I think so.

    2. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 18 mins ago

      Pulisic Pts
      Minutes played = +1
      Assist = +3
      Chances created = +1
      Total pts = +5

      1. Freshy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        6 hours, 16 mins ago

        and he is off

        1. SpaceCadet
          • 12 Years
          6 hours, 9 mins ago

          Glad I didn’t pick him then

  13. Freshy
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 15 Years
    7 hours, 13 mins ago

    Folarin Balogun

    Minutes played = +1
    2 Goals scored= +10
    3 Shots on target = +1
    Scouting bonus = +2
    Total pts = +14

  14. SpaceCadet
    • 12 Years
    7 hours, 8 mins ago

    Mistaken identity wtf

    1. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 8 mins ago

      Almiron dive

  15. SpaceCadet
    • 12 Years
    7 hours, 7 mins ago

    Need a Paraguay g to bust the Dest cs.

    1. Travel Notes
      • 3 Years
      1 hour, 20 mins ago

      Delivered.

      1. SpaceCadet
        • 12 Years
        59 mins ago

        Didn’t help, dest got subbed off right before the goal.

        1. AAAFootball
            28 mins ago

            Beautiful timing...

    2. bso
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      6 hours, 55 mins ago

      Paraguay are really poor. This is no fun for them.

    3. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 49 mins ago

      The game automatically moved my captain off Rangel to Dest.
      On max captain

    4. Freshy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 15 Years
      6 hours, 48 mins ago

      Dest locked a 9 pointr

      1. Freshy
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 15 Years
        5 hours, 48 mins ago

        And they concede
        Works for me

      2. AAAFootball
          28 mins ago

          Very solid.

          Decided to twist captaincy in the end, might as well gamble with 14 to play, but solid 9 locked into my squad.

      3. CoracAld2831
        • 5 Years
        6 hours, 45 mins ago

        3-1.

        Paraguay gets one back.

      4. FOREST FOREVER 2
        • 1 Year
        6 hours, 24 mins ago

        4 gaems on .
        Stil n o win for European or South American teams.

      5. CoracAld2831
        • 5 Years
        6 hours, 20 mins ago

        Reyna makes it 4-1 as the final score.

        1. OverTinker
          • 7 Years
          5 hours, 18 mins ago

          I Just find out he is the son of Claudio Reyna

      6. puma
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 4 Years
        6 hours, 12 mins ago

        Classy finish.

      7. The Florentine assassin
        • 3 Years
        6 hours, 8 mins ago

        I only just realised that not only did Mauricio guide the U.S.A. to a 4-1 victory but he also scored the only goal for Paraguay as well. 5:0 to Mauricio

      8. Jafalad
        • 16 Years
        5 hours, 8 mins ago

        Best German for captaincy: Wirst, Kimmich or Musiela?

        1. Brazooka
          • 13 Years
          3 hours, 59 mins ago

          W

        2. Holmes
          • 12 Years
          3 hours, 5 mins ago

          Kimmich for fun?

          1. Holmes
            • 12 Years
            3 hours, 4 mins ago

            why German though, no players before that game?

      9. BR510
          4 hours, 14 mins ago

          Switch captain from Vasquez (9 points) to Raphinha (MAR) or Gunn (HAI) for tomorrow?

          1. Holmes
            • 12 Years
            3 hours, 6 mins ago

            Raphinha

            1. Holmes
              • 12 Years
              3 hours, 5 mins ago

              Gunn's ceiling is 9pts and you are looking to beat that.

          2. theplayer
            • 12 Years
            2 hours, 51 mins ago

            You do realise you can captain Raphinha then change to Gunn after the Brazil game?

            Or is this a case of sleeping during the games so can only pick one?

            1. Holmes
              • 12 Years
              2 hours, 42 mins ago

              I would assume its 2nd case

        • nonaynever
          • 10 Years
          2 hours, 23 mins ago

          My quandry is similar. From a fortunate Dest to Raphina OR Vini Jr? Graph suggests 13 points is enough from a correct choice to prevent a move again to (Kimmich, Havertz or Wirtz?), via Gunn. Current thinking is switch to Raph then Havertz, maybe not jinxing the Scots with Gunn...thoughts?

          1. PartyTime
            • 4 Years
            10 mins ago

            Lol. How unfortunate... Would love to see graph. Switch to Raphinha

        • JBG
          • 8 Years
          2 hours, 1 min ago

          Anyone who watched, was USA good or Panama just that bad?

          1. Sarkha Sam
            • 14 Years
            45 mins ago

            It was Paraguay, not Panama. More a case of USA being seriously good, if they play like this only one of the big boys will be able to stop them..

            1. JBG
              • 8 Years
              35 mins ago

              Oh yeah, Paraguay...

              Ah okay, thanks.

          2. Holmes
            • 12 Years
            42 mins ago

            Likely to be first game wonder, excitement should cool down by the time they play their 2nd game.

        • LangerznMash
          • 9 Years
          57 mins ago

          Mostafa Shobeir kept clean-sheets in 4 of Egypt's last 5 matches (including one against Spain) only conceding against Brazil. Surely this is a great sign coming into the Belgium match right?

          1. Mozumbus
            • 4 Years
            just now

            Egypt can produce an upset
            Their fans will celebrate like that have won the world cup, so there's lots of incentive as well

        • Pornchef
          • 2 Years
          40 mins ago

          Hi guys can someone quickly explain to me how to subs work?

          If I have a player on the bench who's played can I still sub them in?

          1. Christina.
            • 16 Years
            32 mins ago

            Obv not
            That would be like buying the lottery winning ticket after knowing the winning numbers.

          2. Weasel Boy
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 13 Years
            9 mins ago

            Yes you can sub in players that have played yet
            So if Crepeau (played already) was your keeper, you can replace him with your sub keeper (eg Vargas) as long as he hasn't played yet.

        • gooberman
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 14 Years
          25 mins ago

          The only world cup match I'm interested in watching today the Brazil match just has to kick off at 23.00 doesn't it FFS! The kick off times are so annoying. This world cup is doing to be a complete washout really.

          1. LangerznMash
            • 9 Years
            6 mins ago

            Totally agree, I was struggling to keep my eyes open towards the end of the Canada V Bosnia match even when the ending was pretty exciting. It's just too late.
            I'd like to see decent extended highlights of the post 8PM (UK time) matches - anyone know of any 25-30 min highlight videos??