Perhaps it doesn't, but it feels like it often comes to this for the United States in big tournaments: win and you're in. After an opening loss to Colombia, followed by a rebound 4-0 win against Costa Rica, the "just win and you're good (for now)" scenario is the one in which the USMNT currently find themselves. It's not a bad situation to be in, but advancing out of such a position does require that tricky "just win" part—something you can rarely bank on with this USMNT. Yes, they put four past Costa Rica, and that was great. Paraguay, though, is a different team, on a different day.
Now, a draw could still put the U.S. through, but a loss isn't going to cut it. That means this is rather serious business—so which USMNT shows up? Is it the one that flounders in meaningful games, or the one that gets the result? We have to wonder if Jurgen Klinsmann will choose to start the same lineup as in his previous two games, or if he'll be unable to resist tinkering (Darlington Nagbe? Bueller? Bueller?). Regardless of the lineup, the players will need to keep away from the poor performances that have frequently plagued them.
As for Paraguay? The table math is not in their favor, as they'll need a win and a favorable result for Colombia against Costa Rica to get through to the next round. But it's not as if they have nothing to play for, and the U.S. certainly can't afford to get complacent. Just win, and you're in.
United States vs. Paraguay
Location: Lincoln Financial Field (Pennsylvania, PA)
Kick-off time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Available TV: Fox Sports 1 (English), Univision (Spanish), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
Available streaming: Fox Sports GO (English), Fox Soccer 2GO (English), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.
The gamethread for tonight's game will be posted one hour before kickoff.
And if you want to catch more soccer after the U.S. game, you can watch Group A finish up. Here's your info for the late match:
Colombia vs. Costa Rica
Location: NRG Stadium (Houston, TX)
Kick-off time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
Available TV: Fox Sports 2 (English), Univision (Spanish), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
Available streaming: Fox Sports GO (English), Fox Soccer 2GO (English), Univision Deportes (Spanish)
For listings in other countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.com.