Paraguay just beat Germany. That could be a good sign for USA's World Cup hopes

FOXBOROUGH, MA — In one of the most shocking results of the 2026 World Cup thus far, Paraguay has knocked Germany out of the tournament.

La Albirroja earned a victory in a penalty shootout thanks to a stellar performance from their defense. Germany dominated possession, but Paraguay's back line held up well, forcing 35 turnovers, drawing numerous fouls and seeing goalkeeper Orlando Gill come up with the big saves needed to advance to the round of 16.

Paraguay will obviously be the biggest beneficiary from its victory, which marks just the second time in the country's history it has won a knockout stage match at the World Cup.

But the United States men's national team should also come away from Monday's match feeling pretty darn good about itself. After all, they absolutely manhandled Paraguay when they first faced off in their World Cup opening 4-1 victory.

Many opined the USMNT's first half against Paraguay – during which the Stars and Stripes relentlessly scissored their way through the Paraguayan defense and scored three goals – was one of the best halves of American soccer ever.

Still, a common refrain echoed after that contest. Sure, the USMNT won handily, but it was just Paraguay. How would it hold up against higher-caliber competition?

To be fair, the immediate downplaying of victory over Paraguay was understandable. The South American country ranked 41st in the last official set of FIFA World Rankings entering the 2026 World Cup. It also hadn't made it to the tournament since 2010, so it was easy to write La Albirroja off as a non-contender.

But since the loss to the United States, Paraguay has been formidable. Its strong brand of defense earned it clean sheets against Turkey and Australia to help it through to the round of 32 as a third-place side.

And while Paraguay wasn't able to hold the Germans scoreless, it did well to limit and frustrate a side that entered play Monday tied for the tournament high with 10 goals.

All that's to say that the United States' victory over Paraguay is aging well. The Americans should feel great about putting four goals past such a strong Paraguay defense, especially considering Christian Pulisic was only able to play half of the match because of a calf injury.

If Pulisic is ready to play a larger role in the knockout stages, the United States should retain one of the most explosive offensive attacks among the teams remaining in the tournament.

That could be enough to help the team make its deepest-ever World Cup run.