The U.S. Men’s National Team used a 45th-minute penalty kick from Bobby Wood to earn a spirited 1-0 victory against Paraguay before a sold-out crowd at Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Marky Delgado, Andrija Novakovich, and Tim Weah each earned their first caps, while goalkeeper Zack Steffen recorded his first career clean sheet to help the MNT secure its first victory of 2018.
With an average age of 23 years, 360 days, the young U.S. starting XI came out with a lot of energy and dominated possession through much of the first half. The USA came close in the 16th minute after a strong buildup down the left from Jorge Villafaña led to Kenny Saief’s one-time effort being saved off the line.
After a strong first-half effort, the MNT took a 1-0 lead into the locker room thanks to the collective work of Tyler Adams, Delgado, and Wood. After winning the ball in the defensive end, Delgado lofted a pass through the midfield behind the Paraguay back line to find the speedy Adams.
The 19-year-old took two touches before cutting to the left around goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez who hauled him down, forcing referee Kimbell Ward to point to the spot. On the ensuing penalty kick, Wood calmly stepped up and registered his 11th career international goal by slotting a low effort to the right of Fernandez.
The U.S. continued to show well on the other side of the break, most notably earning a free kick just outside the area thanks to DeAndre Yedlin’s aggressive run in the 65th minute. Saief’s left-footed take curled to the right post, but was met with a save from Fernandez.
Paraguay’s best chance of the match came 10 minutes later when Junior Alonso gained space on the left and crossed for Hernan Perez at the back post. The substitute nodded his effort back across goal where it trickled just past the left post.
A bit of MNT history occurred late in the match as midfielder Tim Weah replaced Delgado in the 86th minute. With his entry into the game, the 18-year-old attacker became the first player born in the 2000s to earn an appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Next Up:
The U.S. Men’s National Team returns to action for a trio of matches in early summer. The MNT faces off with Bolivia in a Memorial Day clash on May 28 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pa. (6:30 p.m. ET; FS1, UniMas & UDN). Days later, the MNT heads to Europe to take on Republic of Ireland on June 2 in Dublin and France on June 9 in Lyon. Broadcast information for both matches will be announced at a later date.
