Like most teams, Paraguay underwent some changes to its squad after the World Cup, where they were expected to do better. Here is their lineup against England and their lineup on Tuesday night.
vs ENG: Justo Villar (Aldo Bobadilla, 8); Denis Caniza, Carlos Gamarra, Julio Cesar Caceres, Delio Toledo (Jorge Nunez, 82), Carlos Bonet (Nelson Cuevas, 68), Roberto Acuna, Carlos Paredes, Cristian Riveros, Nelson Valdez, Roque Santa Cruz.
vs MEX: Justo Villar, Julio Manzur, Dario Veron (Victor Javier Caceres, 43), Paulo Da Silva, Enrique Vera, Cristian Riveros, Edgar Barreto (Edgar Gonzalez, 90), Aureliano Torres (Carlos Bonet, 43), Jose Salcedo (Julio Dos Santos, 63), Roque Santa Cruz (Oscar Cardozo, 75), Dante Lopez (Nelson Cuevas, 70).
Some guys like Barreto and Da Silva were on the World Cup team but didn't play in the opener. Then there's Salvador Cabanas who had a monster season for Club America who wasn't there on Tuesday. Not sure if he will be added to the team. The coach is also new as Gerardo Martino guides the team now.
Before last summer, I would have put Paraguay as the third-best South American nation but how could you argue against Ecuador's results? Paraguay will be a very difficult side to beat this summer, and this result only hammers that point home.
That Paraguay beat Mexico is incredible to me, not so much that they won but that they won in Azteca. The U.S. has always struggled in Azteca though the scores have been close the last few times they've played there. But the same smog and altitude and conditions at Azteca that the US always fears were apparently challenges that Paraguay met and conquered.
6 comments:
I will always believe that Carlos Gamarra was the most underrated outside back of his generation. He was one of the most reliable defenders around.
One would think Paraguay's experience playing at high altitudes in Bolivia and Ecuador during qualifiers didn't hurt them, which isn't to take away from the accomplishment of beating Mexico at Azteca.
Good points on both.
Gamarra was a beast. He gave so much to the Paraguayan defense.
And the altitude in Bolivia and Ecuador is higher than Mexico City so clearly they weren't affected by it as much as other teams. I wonder why the US doesn't train down in La Paz or something before heading out to Mexico City for a qualifier or if that would even make sense.
yea, they always seem to train in Denver. I don't think its as high altitude, plus it clearly doesn't prepare them for the smog!
In 1997, they trained in Big Bear for a couple of weeks before the Mexico City game. No smog up there but the altitude is comparable I believe. The result was 0-0, the best the US has ever done down there.
Not sure if that's the reason why but those two weeks of training could have contributed.
At least during the winter, there is smog that develops in Denver due to temperature inversion that keeps all of the emissions in. This is also what helps keep Mexico City very smoggy as well.
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