'We're so highly focused' - Christian Pulisic embraces home World Cup moment, Chris Richards looks ready: Five keys to USMNT vs Paraguay

Everyone has been focused on Richards' ankle for a few weeks now. In his own words, everything is going to be okay.

"I wouldn't put myself in this position if I didn't think that I could do everything," he said after saying that he's ready to contribute on Friday. "I think part of playing the sport is that you're gonna have some pain at some point, and I'm totally okay with that as long as functionally I'm good. That's the number one thing for me."

It's in Pochettino's hands, then. The USMNT's defensive setup will largely be determined by how much trust Pochettino has in Richards' ankle. If the Crystal Palace star can't quite go, there are options, but none are as good as Richards. If he can go, how good can he be? Will he be the Richards we saw in those closing months of 2025?

That version of Richards would do wonders for this team as they look to keep a good Paraguay attack quiet to start this World Cup.

These two teams met in the fall in a friendly match. The thing everyone remembers most? The melee at the end. After a mini-confrontation between Alex Freeman and Paraguay's bench, tensions boiled over. Multiple USMNT players ran in to save the day, defending Freeman while sending a message to a team that, coincidentally, would become a World Cup opponent.

So, is there anything to learn from that game? Is there anything to take away from that scrap? Yes and no.

"At the end, there was a little bit extra," Tim Ream recalled. "It had the feel of a game that meant something more, and now you look at it, and you think, 'Okay, it was a perfect test for us in that moment'. It's good that we've had that experience, you come to this point, it's a World Cup. Yes, there are things you can glean from it and learn, but it's kind of in the rear-view mirror."

In that November matchup, the USMNT won, 2-1. Gio Reyna scored four minutes in before Alex Arce scored six minutes later. In the 71st minute, Folarin Balogun scored the winner.

"It was a really, really intense game," goalscorer Reyna said. "I was happy to score a goal, and I know it was a good win for the team, but obviously, it will be completely different now. A World Cup is hard to compare to. We just have to be ready to match the intensity and energy we did last time. With our talent, we believe we can find a way to get over the line and win the game."

The truth is, though, that these two teams will look very different on Friday. The USMNT, for example, played without Richards, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman and Antonee Robinson. Each of those players seems likely to start this next game, so don't expect this clash to look much like the last one, even if both coaches will surely be studying film for those little advantages.

"I think for the guys that were on the field against Paraguay, it's helpful because now we're breaking down film against an opposition with what we did and what we can now change in order to have even more success," Tyler Adams said. "So, obviously, getting a win against them is good, but they'll be hungry, probably even hungrier in their first World Cup game against a team that just recently beat them.

"They'll be hungry to get after it, so we need to deal with that as well."

At the last World Cup, the U.S. set the tone early. Tim Weah's goal against Wales didn't come in a win, as a late penalty forced the USMNT to settle for just one point. It did, however, give the Americans an early jolt, one that helped carry them through a difficult group-stage run.

There’s something to be said for that kind of tone-setter. Clint Dempsey provided one in 2014 with his famous goal against Ghana, and Weah did the same last time out against Wales. Can the U.S. find another on Friday night, easing the nerves that will come with the start of a World Cup on home soil?

At the very least, the U.S. can't let Paraguay set that tone. Against Germany, the USMNT fell asleep early, allowing a silly set-piece goal inside the first two minutes. In general, the team has had some issues with some poor starts, conceding a first-half goal in nine of their last 10 games. Fortunately, the team has also shown the ability to manage after conceding and generate more chances. You don't want to play that game at a World Cup, though.

"It's extremely important," Cristian Roldan said. "It'd be nice to score early, but I think if we have a strong start where we're pressing all over the field, we have momentum going into the 15-minute mark, I think we put ourselves in a good spot. If we can start like that, we have a really good shot of getting out of the group.

"The first game, the first 15 minutes, are really important in a tournament, and we need to be ready. We can't be asleep like our game against Germany, because that's when things can change, and your tournament can change."

So, while it's important to start well in the context of Friday's game, it's also important to start well in the context of this World Cup. Three points against Paraguay would ease nerves heading into matches against Australia and Turkey. Anything less? Well, then the pressure really mounts.

"Definitely not thinking about third place, that's for sure," Adams said. "I think that, based off of the last World Cup, I know how valuable the first game of a World Cup is."

Pochettino knows his starting goalkeeper by now, but he has kept that decision close to the vest. Both Matt Freese and Matt Turner said this week that they did not know who would start. It seems that remains the case even 24 hours out.

"I don't want to tell, but we already decided who is in the starting XI," Pochettino said. "We will only see if something happens until or before the game. [The goalkeeper] has already been decided. I don't know if they know."

The decision matters, too. In an ideal world, the U.S. goalkeeper would have a quiet night, limited mostly to playing out from the back and taking goal kicks. World Cups rarely work that way, though. In this environment, a goalkeeper almost always has to make a play or two. The question is which one Pochettino trusts most to make it.

Is it Freese, who has been the go-to starter for much of the last year? Or is it Turner, who already has World Cup experience, including two clean sheets in do-or-die group-stage games? Maybe there is little between them. Maybe, if everything goes to plan, it will not matter much at all. But there is also a chance this decision becomes defining, and that one of these two goalkeepers has to make the save that dictates the USMNT’s future.

This one is simple, but it's also the most complicated. On Friday, the USMNT won't just have to deal with Paraguay; they'll have to deal with everything else. The attention, the pressure, the stakes - all will weigh on the USMNT. How will they manage it?

At the 2022 World Cup, the U.S., largely, rose to the occasion. At the 2024 Copa America, this team wilted. The years since have been an up-and-down ride, but none of that matters now, for better or worse. This is a new sort of challenge.

The reality is simple: this challenge is unlike any they've ever faced. Hosting a World Cup isn't for the faint of heart and the spotlight that comes with it is totally unique. This game will largely come down to how they manage that spotlight. Talent-wise, the USMNT are likely the better team, but Paraguay will embrace underdog status while putting even more pressure on the host's shoulders.

"It has that big game feel, for sure," Pulisic said. "It's similar to [2022], but in some ways I feel a little bit more relaxed, I think, just because, I've been there before and we've played in a match like this, so I think the experience has calmed me down a bit."

Calm or not, this game will be just as much mental as it is physical for a team that will face expectations and attention unlike any American soccer has ever seen.

"I'm gonna try to enjoy the moment as best I can," Pulisic said. "I think it's important as well, but it can be so tough, of course. We're so highly focused, and it's this big game. You want to do well, and you want to perform get that first game weight off your shoulders.

"But I'll look around, I'm going to try to take it in. I have friends and family in the stands. It's a special moment, so I want to try to enjoy it."