Reyna leads the United States to victory against Paraguay
A goal and an assist from Gio Reyna propelled the United States men’s national soccer team to a 2-1 victory against Paraguay on Saturday at Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. This was Reyna’s first start since July 2024. The match began with a header goal by Reyna in the fourth minute, putting the United States in the lead. However, Paraguay responded quickly. In the 10th minute, Alex Arce equalized the score with a header, establishing a 1-1 tie. Despite dominating possession and shots in the first half, the United States went into halftime with the score tied. In the second half, the United States continued its offensive. The substitutions of Diego Luna and Alex Freeman, among others, demonstrated Mauricio Pochettino’s intention to seek victory. In the 71st minute, Luna’s pressure caused a ball loss by Paraguay, which led Folarin Balogun to assist Reyna, who then returned the favor to score 2-1. With increased pressure in the final minutes, the United States was close to scoring another goal and, despite some clashes with their opponents in added time, achieved a narrow but satisfying 2-1 victory at the end of the match. In preparation for the World Cup, Pochettino and his team will close this international break with another friendly against Uruguay on November 18th.Match Analysis and Ratings
Mauricio Pochettino, 8: The coach made changes to the starting eleven, highlighting Reyna’s starting position, and the move worked out well. His constant message has been the team above individuals, which has led to many changes in his starters, and for now, he deserves credit. While the midfield seemed unstable at times and his squad sometimes struggled against physical counterattacks, the team earned a deserved victory.Player Ratings (0-10; 10 = best, 5 = average)
Goalkeeper: Matt Freese, 6: Couldn’t do much to stop Arce’s header from close range. Other than that, it was a quiet night for the goalkeeper who only had to deal with three shots on target.Defense: Joe Scally, 7: He made some good interventions. It wasn’t a career-defining performance, but it was enough to keep him in the fight for a spot in the three-man defense.Defense: Tim Ream, 7: He had a couple of moments where he seemed to lack rhythm, but it was a positive night for the defender, who stopped several attempts and also made great long passes forward.
Defense: Miles Robinson, 5: Lost the mark on Paraguay’s goal and didn’t need to commit to a foul that earned him a yellow card. Robinson should be recognized for his important clearances, but his decision-making was poor.Midfielder: Max Arfsten, 8: Who is Antonee Robinson? Arfsten seems more confident with each passing game, and the assist proved it on Saturday. Could he establish himself as a starter over Robinson?
Midfielder: Tanner Tessmann, 7: Could we give him a 6.5 for not completely securing his area of play? Either way, he did a lot of dirty work with his active play in all aspects.Midfielder: Cristian Roldan, 6: He took a shot on goal and participated in the build-up play, but he didn’t fully control the midfield either. He needs to contribute more if he wants to be a starter.Midfielder: Sergiño Dest, 8: Often criticized for not having enough on the defensive end, the high-pressing right-back did well in helping to win back the ball. As expected, Dest was very active in attack and took a dangerous shot.Attacking Midfielder: Gio Reyna, 9: What more can you ask for? With all eyes on the return of the promising player who has yet to live up to his high expectations, Reyna responded with a goal and an assist in his first start in over a year.
Substitutes
(Players introduced after 70 minutes are not rated)Offensive Midfielder: Diego Luna, 7: Almost had an assist and forced the ball loss that led to the winning goal.
Midfielder: Alex Freeman, 6: Limited time for the right-back who is still behind Dest in terms of a starting position.Offensive Midfielder: Timothy Tillman, N/A: A handful of accurate passes in his brief appearance.Forward: Ricardo Pepi, N/A: He had a shot from close range that should have been an easy goal.Midfielder: Aidan Morris, N/A: Made a couple of clearances and a successful dribble off the bench.Midfielder: Sebastian Berhalter, N/A: Limited touches for the late substitute.
