USMNT Player Ratings vs. Paraguay: Americans Dominate World Cup Opener

LOS ANGELES STADIUM — I knew this USA team could cook, but it threw some special sauce in on Friday night.

The USA gave us a little bit of everything — and then some — in the first half of its win over Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettino’s team was dominant from the opening whistle to the final one. It was a masterclass.

Nobody left the stadium early. The fans wanted to give this USA team the love it deserved, and they were rewarded for sticking around in the form of a brilliant Gio Reyna goal to make the scoreline 4-1.

I want to note that these ratings come as a prisoner of the moment. It was an incredible night in Los Angeles as the United States dominated. Here we go.

Rating: 8

Freese got the start over Matt Turner, but he wasn’t called upon too much Friday. I’m being generous, though. He didn’t have a starring role, and I don’t think he could do too much on the goal. From that positioning with Mauricio through on goal, I don’t think there was anything he could do.

As I said, I’m feeling very generous today after that performance, so it’s an 8 for Freese.

Rating: 8.5

Rating: 8.5

I thought Antonee Robinson was more involved in the attack tonight, while Alex Freeman was a bit more disciplined defensively on the right side and Sergiño Dest played further up the wing.

I praised Freeman during the two friendlies against Senegal and Germany in the buildup to the tournament, and he looked like he belonged tonight. A very encouraging start to the tournament from both.

Robinson scored a banger of a volley against Germany last week and continued to look like a threat down the left wing. He’ll be a key part of the U.S. attack on that side of the field.

Rating: 8

Rating: 8

I thought Richards’ leadership was felt early on in this game,