Mauricio Pochettino’s side begins its Group D campaign at 9 p.m. ET against Paraguay, with Australia and Türkiye also in the group. But while the focus is now on World Cup points, the last meeting between the last meeting between the USMNT and Paraguay produced one of the ugliest scenes involving the national team in recent memory.

The USMNT and Paraguay faced off in an international friendly in November 2025, with the Americans running out 2-1 winners, but the game itself was overshadowed by a mass confrontation that erupted in the closing moments.

What started the fight between the USMNT and Paraguay?

The trouble began when USMNT defender Alex Freeman and Paraguay captain Gustavo Gómez became involved in a confrontation while contesting a ball that had already gone out of play.

What started as a disagreement between two players quickly escalated.

Both benches emptied as players and staff from both teams rushed onto the field. Punches were reportedly thrown during the melee, and one Paraguayan player was shoved away from the main scrum as tensions boiled over.

Even US coach Pochettino found himself caught up in the chaos.

The Argentine coach later revealed that he had been looking elsewhere when the incident began. As he moved toward the confrontation in an attempt to calm the situation, he was knocked to the ground.

“Lucky that Gustavo Alfaro saw me and said, wait, and helped me with some staff,” Pochettino explained afterward.

Tensions boil over between USMNT and Paraguay

The disorder was not confined to the field. A bottle was also thrown toward the playing surface from the stands during the confrontation.

USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese admitted he was pleased to see teammates come to each other’s defense but accused Paraguay players of crossing the line.

“There were a few cheap shots thrown from their end, to be honest,” Freese said after the match. “But that’s part of being a team and we’re going to be standing up for each other no matter the end of the game, beginning of the game, middle of the game.”

The referee handed out six yellow cards following the incident, while Paraguay defender Omar Alderete was shown a red card.

Pochettino described the confrontation as a “very dangerous situation” and made clear he did not want to see a repeat.

Now the teams meet again with far more at stake. The winner will take an early advantage in Group D, but after the scenes that unfolded in their last encounter, all eyes will also be on whether tempers remain under control.

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