By Rory Carroll
LOS ANGELES, June 12 (Reuters) – U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino has selected Matt Freese over Matt Turner to start in goal in Friday’s World Cup match at Los Angeles Stadium while Julio Enciso will make a surprise start for Paraguay despite a recent injury.
• U.S. starting lineup includes defender Chris Richards, who had been working his way back from an ankle injury.
• Folarin Balogun and Christian Pulisic spearhead U.S. attack and captain Tim Ream will lead the home side’s defence.
• Enciso’s presence should provide a boost to a Paraguay squad that has struggled to score in recent matches.
• Gustavo Alfaro selects Orlando Gill to start in goal.
• The Group D match marks the first match in the U.S. of the expanded 48-team World Cup.
Lineups:
Paraguay: Orlando Gill, Omar Alderete, Juan Jose Caceres, Junior Alonso, Gustavo Gomez, Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Damian Bobadilla, Antonio Sanabria, Julio Enciso
United States: Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Christian Radnedge)
