The United States will open its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on Friday at 7:00 pm in Inglewood, California, with Alejandro Zendejas included on the final roster that coach Mauricio Pochettino announced for the match.
Zendejas, 28, was one of the more unexpected names on the sheet: he had not been called up for the United States’ preparation matches earlier in the year but arrives off a solid Clausura 2026 for Club América, where he played 10 matches, started nine, scored three goals and logged 736 minutes. He also played the full two matches of América’s final phase before the club was eliminated by Pumas de la UNAM in the quarterfinals.
The numbers matter because Pochettino trimmed his squad with a match in hand. Adding a player who spent much of the season in Liga MX rather than in recent national-team windows shifts options for the attack: Zendejas’ minutes and starts for América give him match sharpness, but his absence from earlier United States camps leaves questions about his chemistry with teammates and his familiarity with Pochettino’s specific game plan.
Context is simple and relevant: the United States has recent success against Paraguay, winning three of the last five meetings — a 1-0 win in the 2016 Copa América, a 1-0 friendly victory in 2018 and a 2-1 friendly on November 15, 2025. Those results shape expectations for Friday’s opener, but they do not settle selection decisions for a coach who has pushed a larger pool of forwards this cycle.
The obvious friction is selection versus preparation. Zendejas’ inclusion despite missing earlier call-ups forces a practical choice on match day: whether Pochettino will reward club form with a starting spot or keep Zendejas as a substitute option to be introduced when the match asks for fresh legs. That tension affects other attacking picks who were present for the preparation matches and have had more time under the coach’s instructions.
For supporters looking for concrete detail before kickoff: the match kicks at 7:00 pm in Inglewood, and the roster decision leaves the United States with at least one forward who arrives with recent competitive minutes from Club América’s Clausura run. Zendejas’ 736 minutes and three goals in the closing domestic tournament are the clearest indicators Pochettino had when balancing form against familiarity.
What to watch when the match begins is the manner and timing of Zendejas’ deployment. If he starts, Pochettino is signaling trust in his club rhythm and expecting an immediate attacking impact. If he comes off the bench, Zendejas will be a tactical option to change tempo or to exploit tiring defenders late. Either way, his presence reshapes substitution patterns and could determine how the United States chases a result should the opener prove tight.
The single consequential unanswered question going into kickoff is straightforward: will Mauricio Pochettino make Alejandro Zendejas a starter to leverage his recent playing time with Club América, or will he keep Zendejas as an impact substitute to protect cohesion with players who featured in the preparation matches? That decision will tell us how Pochettino values club form against camp continuity and will shape the United States’ attacking approach against Paraguay on Friday night.
