Paraguay defeated the U.S. men’s national team 1-0 on a cold, rainy night in Nashville, Tenn. Despite the weather, the crowd was the largest in the state’s history for a soccer match.
The United States held the advantage in shots, 13-5. The two teams were equal in shots on goal at 3-3.
USMNT head coach Bob Bradley spoke on the multiple chances the Americans had after the game, saying the U.S. lacked “The ability for a player to make a play in that part of the field…in an overall good performance, those are the plays that let them down.”
Paraguay had 18 fouls compared to just eight for the U.S. This led to a lot of set pieces for the Americans, but they weren’t able to cash any in for a goal. Bradley said on those set pieces that, “the deliveries were not where they needed to be…Paraguay is, physically, a big team.”
Bradley also felt that those fouls by Paraguay were key in stopping his offense’s rhythm. Despite all of the fouls, Paraguay’s Enrigue Vera received the game’s only yellow card in the 29th minute.
The U.S. used its full allotment of six subs, while Paraguay used five. The only dressed U.S. player that didn’t see the field was Mixx Diskerud. Bradley talked about the play of some of the young guys, with mixed reviews. His highest praise came for defender Tim Ream, who he felt had, “Composure on the ball.”
This is the last time the USMNT will be together until many of the European league’s end in May. At that time they will begin preparation for a match with Spain and the Gold Cup.