The USA kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign in style, securing a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side were not among the favourites for the tournament prior to proceedings getting underway, but their stock has certainly risen after such an impressive opening match.
Chris Richards had been struggling for fitness in the month leading up to the World Cup getting underway, but he started on Friday evening and has now matched a record not seen on FIFA’s biggest stage since 1966.
Chris Richards completed all of his passes during USMNT’s win over Paraguay
While he may not be the biggest name in world football, the Crystal Palace centre-back is a key player for the USMNT.
Having him fit for this summer’s World Cup is a huge boost for the co-host, as became clear after a staggering statistic emerged in the aftermath of last night’s match.
As per statisticians Opta: “Chris Richards completed all 83 passes he attempted for the #USMNT against Paraguay, the most passes with a 100 percent accuracy rate by any player in a FIFA World Cup match since 1966.”
Along with Richards, the likes of Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun are going to be key figures for the USMNT this summer as they aim to better their best-ever run at the World Cup.
They have previously finished third, all the way back at the 1930 competition, but have not made it past the quarter-finals since 2002.
Now, Pochettino’s men have a good few days off as they prepare for their second Group D campaign of the World Cup.
They will take on Australia on Friday, June 20, in another match where they should be favourites to secure all three points.
Their group-stage campaign is then rounded out with a meeting against Turkey, who are perhaps their toughest opponents, on June 25.
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