Thanks to a goal and an assist from a returning Gio Reyna, the USMNT defeated Paraguay in Chester

As the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues, the United States Men’s National Team is fine-tuning details ahead of next summer’s tournament. The team led by Mauricio Pochettino was coming into the final international window of 2025 on a high, having strung together a three-game unbeaten streak. 

Gio Reyna scored a goal and got an assist in his return to the USMNT Saturday evening against Paraguay. Photo Credit: USMNT/US Soccer

The streak started in September after a 2-0 victory over Japan and carried over into the October window with a victory against Australia and a draw against Ecuador. Pochettino’s side was looking to build on this momentum into the November window against a very tough opponent who will also feature in next summer’s tournament in North America, Paraguay. 

On a cool fall evening, more than 17.224 fans gathered at Subaru Park in Chester, PA, to witness an intense physical affair, with a little bit of friction at the end of the game, but the Americans were able to best the Paraguayans by a score of 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. 

“We were better [than] a team that I think is very competitive and difficult to beat,” said Pochettino, “Big credit — but that is not enough. We are happy. We need to keep going because we need to improve, improve, improve, and arrive at the World Cup in our best, in our peak. And that is not about the names. It is about the team. It is about the collective.”  

USMNT Captain Tim Ream vs Paraguay's Alex Arce in the USMNT 2-1 victory over Paraguay Saturday evening in Chester, PA. Photo Credit: Seleccion Paraguaya

Gio Reyna shines in return to the national team

The star of the game was certainly Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Gio Reyna. Reyna received his first call-up to the national team for the first time since March. The 23-year-old did not take long to make a quick impact. 

Gio Reyna celebrates his first goal with the US Men's National Team since 2024, scoring the opening goal against Paraguay in Chester, PA, Saturday afternoon. Photo Credit: USMNT/US Soccer

Making his first start for the national team since Copa America 2024, Reyna did not take long to make his impact felt on the field. In the 4th minute, Max Arfsten took a corner kick, sending an in swinger towards Miles Robinson, but the ball was cleared out, the rebound fell to Sergino Dest outside the box, but his shot was blocked, after another blocked shot the ball would fall to Christian Roldan, who laid the ball off to Arfesten who sent the ball into the box to a waiting Reyna, who headed the ball towards goal. The ball would hit the bottom of the crossbar before crossing the goal line. The goal would be Reyna’s first goal with the national team since March of 2024, when he scored in the Concacaf Nations League final against Mexico. 

Reyna had this to say about his goal: “I always had confidence in myself,” Reyna said. “To see a goal go in the back of the net, it’s always nice.”

“So happy with him,” Pochettino said. “He showed why he started [and] the capacity to read

the game and find the free space in between the lines. He was a nightmare for Paraguay.”

With this goal, Reyna moved ahead in the national team charts, surpassing his father, former USMNT captain Claudio Reyna, with his 9 goals. 

“I didn't even know how many goals I had, to be honest,” Gio said. “I was just happy to score, happy to be back. And I sent a few texts teasing him after the game, but he was happy for me.”

The joy of taking an early lead would be short-lived as Paraguay would strike back. It was the 9th minute when Atletico Minero defender Junior Alonso sent a long ball down the left side of the field to Miguel Almiron. The Atlanta United midfielder beat the mark of Joe Scally, sending a cross to Alex Arce, who caught the bouncing ball mid-air and headed the ball past Matt Freese to score his first goal as a member of the Paraguayan national team. 

Alex Arce celebrates his first goal with Paraguay with his teammates Saturday night in Chester, PA. Photo Credit: Seleccion Paraguya

“We all agree we cannot concede this type of goal because [it was] so easy,” Pochettino said.

“It starts from being aggressive from the first whistle,” USMNT Team Captain Tim Ream said. “And kind of, in a way, just laying a marker and having the other team understand that we’re here to fight, we’re here to play, we’re here to win a game.”

Folarin Balogun scored his third goal in three consecutive starts for the USMNT. Photo Credit: USMNT/US Soccer

The United States would find the breakthrough in the 71st minute. Pressure on attack from both Roldan and Diego Luna forced the ball off a Paraguayan defender, Juan Caceres, with the ball finding its way to Folarin Balogun, who laid off the ball in the path of Reyna, who sprinted with the deep into Paraguay’s area. Reyna sent the ball across goal to Balogun, taking a quick deflection off of Damian Bobadilla. The Monaco striker took advantage of the deflection and buried the ball into the back of the net to score his third goal in three straight starts with the national team.

“Gio wanted to come into camp and do his thing, wanted to put the noise behind him, and I felt like he did that,” Balogun said. “It was a really strong performance in a difficult game.”

Reyna would be subbed off in the 75th minute as the crowd present at Subaru Park sent him off in a sea of applause and cheers for his performance. 

Almiron had a chance to tie the match in the 78th minute by trying his luck from distance, but Freese was able to get a hand to Almiron’s opportunity and send the ball out for a corner kick. 

“We were talking now in the dressing room with the players, how they started to feel the football that we want to apply on the pitch,” Pochettino said.

A minute the US nearly doubled their lead after Timmy Tillman stole the ball from Braian Ojeda in the middle of the field, sending a through ball to Luna down the left-hand side of the pitch. The Real Salt Lake midfielder marched towards the box and sent a low cross across goal, the ball going through the legs of a Paraguayan defender to a waiting Ricardo Pepi, who settled the ball and shot the ball towards goal, but a goal-line clearance from a Paraguayan defender denied Pepi a chance at grabbing a goal in the match. 

“Things are clicking now,” Ream said. “When you start to fully understand the ideas, the movements and the rotations, now all of a sudden you don’t have to think. … It’s a better understanding of what it takes to play this way.”

In the 89th minute, Paraguay had a chance to tie the game as Almiron and Riveros started building up play down the wing. Riveros took the ball down the right side and towards goal, putting the ball between Aiden Morris' legs, and sending a violent cross across goal. The ball hit Arfsten in the back of the leg and nearly went towards goal, but the ball went out for a corner kick.

“We needed this type of game, and the next one is going to be the same, it’s going to be competitive,” Pochettino said. “These are not ‘friendly’ games. That is important.”

Insanity at the end of the match 

In the dying moments of the game of a pretty intense match, a cleared ball from a Paraguayan defender led to a United States throw-in. Paraguayan Captain Gustavo Gomez went to get the ball that was kicked back in bounds by their head coach Gustavo Alfaro. In that exact moment, US defender Alex Freeman went over to collect the ball. Both Gomez and Freeman began tussling for the ball, with Gomez trying to wrestle the ball away from Freeman. Within seconds, both benches cleared, and players came together to create a chaotic situation with grapples and shoves involved. 

“That situation is very, very dangerous,” Pochettino said after the match. “Anything can happen. I don’t like this type of situation.”

The US players quickly came to the aid of Freeman, showing a sense of solidarity between the players and having each other's backs in that moment. 

“There were a few cheap shots thrown from their end,” Freese said. “But it's part of being a team, and we're going to be standing up for each other no matter the moment, no matter the end of the game, beginning of the game, in the middle of the game, on the sideline like that. That's what it means to be a team.”

Ream, who is the team captain, had the same sentiment as Freese: “It shows that guys are in it, willing to protect each other, wanting to get involved,” Ream said. “Make sure we’re not going to be pushed around. … It’s a point of pride for both teams.”

While Arfesten added, “Pochettino always tells us to fight, fight, fight. I think we embody that. These games are gritty and physical. I think this plays into our identity.”

In the middle of the fight, cameras show Pochettino trying to defuse the situation, but he ended up getting knocked down by a camera bank nearby. Luckily for him, Alfaro was able to pick him back up. 

“I was trying to get in front of my players to avoid all the pushing, and Mauricio tried to do the same, but he fell in front of the camera,” Alfaro said. “I saw him and tried to help him up.”

Pochettino added, “I’m lucky that Alfaro saw me and helped me up.” 

At the end of the fight, Paraguay’s Omar Alderete would be shown a red card and sent to the locker room after the chaos calmed down. 

What's Next:

For both national team's they have to quickly regroup and refocus ahead of their final opponents of 2025.

For Paraguay, they have to travel to San Antonio, TX where they will face one of the other co-hosts of next summer's World Cup, Mexico.

"To elevate our competitive level for the World Cup, we must consistently face higher-ranked teams, like those in Group 2 (e.g., Korea, US, Mexico) instead of Group 4 or non-qualified teams." Alfaro said, "We must correct the small but critical mistakes and details that lead to negative results, such as the late tie against Japan in a controlled game. World Cup matches will be high-pressure games like the ones we need to play now,

and capitalizing on opportunities while minimizing errors is paramount."

While the US travels to Tampa, FL, where they will face a very formidable opponent for their final match of 2025, they will take on another possible World Cup opponent in Uruguay.

“We needed this type of game, and the next one is going to be the same, it’s going to be competitive,” Pochettino said. “These are not ‘friendly’ games. That is important.”

The match between the US and Uruguay will take place on Tuesday night at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 pm.