You are not going to find many United States Men's National Team (USMNT) games that had a better 1st half than what we saw last night against Paraguay. The watch parties were awesome, the 4 goals were amazing, and the style of play is exactly what we have all been begging for. So, why is one silly play causing people to instantly trash the world's game?
USMNT defender Tim Ream made a challenge on Paraguay's Miguel Almirón. From behind, it looked like he may have made some contact, and the referee issued a yellow card. A yellow card is a foul deemed to be reckless, dangerous, preventing a goal-scoring chance, or egregious. When you look at the replay, clearly it was none of those things.
After a VAR check for mistaken identity, Miguel Almirón is shown a yellow card 🟨 pic.twitter.com/XeD17F7hnV
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 13, 2026
Quickly, "this is why I hate soccer" posts sprang up all over social media. And it got me thinking, is flopping in soccer that much more than in other popular sports? The numbers say no.
For example, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a huge flopper. Bleacher Report notes that he falls to the ground on 17.4% of his shots. Do people suddenly hate the NBA? No, they ask for the commish to step in and fix it. Well, guess what? FIFA did that.
Last night, the referee was told by his Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to hold play while they searched for "mistaken identity." It is a new rule that allows the referee overseeing the game to buzz the on-field referee and let him know a yellow or red card was issued to the wrong player. When looking at the play, it is clear Almiron dove, and Ream made zero contact.
The yellow card was then rightly reversed to Almiron. Imagine if the NBA did such a thing. So, if you want to hate soccer, go for it. You are the one missing out. But don't pretend it's about some macho anti-flopping stuff.
Imagine missing out on what was a party because you don't like something that's being removed from the game. And make no mistake, last night was a party
USMNT rolls 4-1 over Paraguay and showcase a dominance rarely seen
The USMNT scored four goals for the first time in its World Cup history, and they did so in style. The team played aggressive soccer that caused Paraguay to turn it over time and time again. They moved the ball effortlessly, and quite frankly looked like a completely different team than what we saw in the March friendlies. Just look at the end of this 20-pass beautiful move that resulted in Gio Reyna's goal:
¡GOLAZO ESPECTACULAR DE ESTADOS UNIDOS! ¡GOLAZAZO!
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 13, 2026
Giovanni Reyna firma una tremenda anotación de fuera del área sobre Paraguay, ¡4-1!
¡Una de las mejores actuaciones de los estadounidenses en Mundiales! pic.twitter.com/c5Tqljjqpu
Yahoo! Sports reports that 85% of teams that win their opening game of group play advance to the knockout. It takes a lot of pressure off, but the job is not done. Now, the US has to make sure Christian Pulisic is healthy and get ready for Australia. A win there, and the US is almost assuredly moving on as no worse than one of the best 3rd place teams. A loss and things will be on a knife-edge in the last matchday of the group.
To really put things in perspective, Paraguay had given up 10 goals in 18 CONMEBOL (South American) World Cup Qualifiers. The US put up nearly half of that in 90 minutes. Go enjoy a dominant 4-1 victory on home soil in a World Cup. These kinds of days don't happen too often.
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