Group stage won’t be smooth for U.S. if Almirón has anything to say about it
When the U.S. men’s national team kicks off its FIFA World Cup run at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, Atlanta United fans will recognize a familiar face on the opposite side.
Miguel Almirón will suit up for Paraguay on June 12. The legendary United midfielder will battle the Americans in Group D, along with Australia and Turkey.
The top two teams in the group will advance to the knockout round, and in the expanded 48-team format, eight third-place nations can move on based on goal differential.
“We’re focused on the U.S.,” Almirón said. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ll take it one thing at a time, but of course, we want to go as far as possible.”
Almirón knows the U.S. will be a tough opponent. It was not long ago that the two sides faced off in an international friendly in November, with the U.S. winning 2-1. The Five Stripes starter played 90 minutes in a contentious match, which ended with his teammate Omar Alderete receiving a red card in second-half stoppage time.
It will be Almirón’s first appearance on soccer’s biggest stage. The 32-year-old earned his first country cap more than a decade ago, but Paraguay failed to qualify for the World Cup in the two cycles of his national team career.
The last time La Albirroja competed in the World Cup, Almirón was just a teenager, and someone else deeply tied to United stood in the coaches’ box. Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino coached Paraguay to its most recent World Cup appearance in 2010.
Martino’s international coaching career began with the South American nation in 2007. Paraguay had consistently appeared in the last four tournaments, and the drought began after Martino stepped down in 2011.
“Last year I had the opportunity to go to a qualification match between Paraguay and Uruguay, and what I saw from the team and the players, and also the environment in the stadium, reminded me of that situation in 2010,” Martino said. “ … They have players like Miguel who have been working and fighting for this opportunity for a long time, and so they want to have a good experience at the World Cup.”
Together, Almirón and Martino have experienced the highest highs by winning the MLS Cup championship in 2018. However, now that they’ve reunited this season in Atlanta, it’s been quite the opposite as the Five Stripes headed into the international break 3-9-2. That makes their shared history with the Paraguay national team all the more gratifying.
“Tata (Martino) has talked to me about his experience in 2010 ... I’ve always said that he’s been like a father figure for me,” Almirón said. “He wishes me the best, and he wants me to be able to experience the World Cup and experience everything that this moment brings. For that, I’m always going to be very grateful to him.”
Almirón remembers watching his home team advance to the World Cup quarterfinals 16 years ago. He recalls the excitement when Paraguay defeated Japan 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 result following two extra-time periods. He dreamed of representing his country in a World Cup one day.
“The national team has been fighting for this opportunity for 16 years, and personally I’ve been working toward this goal for 10 years with the national team, so I think it’s going to be something beautiful in that moment not just for me but also for my family and for all the Paraguayan fans, and for everyone who’s, who’s been with me, and been with us through all the tough moments. I think there’s going to be a lot of emotions in that moment, but we take it on with responsibility.”
Almirón is treating this like it could be his final World Cup opportunity. In the next cycle, he’ll be 36 years old.
These moments don’t come often, as Paraguay national fans know well, and Almirón wants to forge a new path for his country.
“We don’t want to compare ourselves with that team; we don’t want to compare ourselves with anybody,” Almirón said. “We just want to go and create our own legacy.”
