PHILADELPHIA, Sporting Alert – The United States are unchanged again for tonight’s Copa American Group A battle with Paraguay at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
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This means Clint Dempsey, Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes will continue to lead the attack, while the experienced in the midfield remains, as captain Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones will anchor things behind the attackers.
Alejandro Bedoya also starts in midfield, with John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson and DeAndre Yedlin completing the back four.
Brad Guzan remains the starting goalkeeper, with the veteran Tim Howard on the bench.
The U.S. only need a draw to secure a place in the quarterfinal round, but head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said his team will be going for a win.
“A point will take you into the quarters, but you can’t speculate on that one,” Klinsmann said at his pre-match news conference at Lincoln Financial Field this week.
“We don’t have the character to now sit back and let them come and just hope for a counter break. This is not us.”
The German added: “This is already a knockout game on Saturday. This is it. You need now to get at least one point.
“We are not playing for one point. We cannot do that. It is not our character to go for one point. We go for the win. Otherwise, we might punish ourselves.”
Meanwhile, Paraguay, currently on one point, need a victory in the group stage finale, and they are preparing to take some risk against the host country.
“We’re going to take the risks that we have to,” said defender Paulo da Silva. “Especially in the first half.”
Da Silva will start alongside Fabián Balbuena, Miguel Samudio and Gustavo Gómez in the backline for Paraguay, with the Derlis González, Dario Lezcano and Antonio Sanabria, Celso Ortiz, Víctor Ayala and Miguel Almirón also playing in the starting lineup.
United States: Brad Guzan, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Fabian Johnson, DeAndre Yedlin, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones, Alejandro Bedoya, Clint Dempsey, Bobby Wood, Gyasi Zardes.
Paraguay: Justo Villar, Paulo Da Silva, Fabian Balbuena, Miguel Samudio, Gustavo Gómez, Celso Ortiz, Víctor Ayala, Miguel Almiron, Derlis González, Dario Lezcano, Antonio Sanabria.
