Is Julio Enciso playing tonight? USA must be ready for the Paraguay star

All eyes are on SoFi Stadium for the Friday night World Cup showdown between the United States and Paraguay. Mauricio Pochettino and his players are quite confident leading up to the action, but Julio Enciso and his South American teammates are hoping to pull off a bit of a stunner in this one. And with that, Enciso looks ready to take the pitch as well.

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During a recent friendly against Nicaragua, the Paraguayan playmaker went down with an injury, and he left the field in tears. The assumption was that he'd miss the World Cup opener at a minimum. Instead, it looks like Gustavo Alfaro and his coaching staff have dodged a major bullet. Per multiple reports, Enciso has undergone full training with Paraguay, and the expectation is currently that he'll play in this one. Wow.

Julio Encisco is expected to play for Paraguay in the World Cup showdown vs. the USA

We can't overstate how important this news is going to be for Paraguay and Alfaro. Will it be enough for the Paraguayans to shock Poch and his players? We'll leave that up to you to decide, but Enciso will be ready to make a huge impact with the stands in Los Angeles packed to the brim.

During CONMEBOL qualifiers, Enciso showcased that he was one of the most important players for his home country, as he runs the field with plenty of pace, and he's got a rocket for a right foot as well. He's known for his fantastic passing and goal-scoring abilities. Now, he's going to be ready to highlight that versus the USA, though the defense will be ready to shut him down.

There's going to be a ton of defensive focus on the USA in this one, as you've got to believe standout left back Antonee Robinson will take it upon himself to lead the charge in trying to slow down the Paraguay attack. Robinson scored his worldie against Germany, but his defensive attributes are what make him such a game-changer for Poch.

The United States is considered a favorite in this one, but no one, and we mean no one, can sleep on Paraguay. It finished in sixth place in the CONMEBOL table with 25 points, but some head-turning victories were posted by Alfaro, who made the move to Paraguay after previously leading Ecuador to the 2022 World Cup.

During this last round of qualifiers, Paraguay's wins included surprising results over Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Those are some South American heavy-hitters, but 'La Albirroja' were able to get things done in pretty head-turning fashion. Will an upset over the USA be on the way too? Obviously, that's not what local fans are hoping for.

It's time for Captain America Christian Pulisic to remind Paraguay that the USA means business in this World Cup, and losing on home soil is not an option for this group. Yes, having Enciso take the field will complicate things a bit for Poch, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the USA has a clear goal in mind: to win, and do so in convincing fashion.

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