Diego Gómez headline?
diego gómez matters here because Julio Enciso made Paraguay's starting lineup against the United States after a June 5 leg injury raised doubts about whether he would be ready for the World Cup opener. Gustavo Alfaro still chose him for Paraguay's first match of the tournament, putting the midfielder back in the center of the lineup at the first chance.
Enciso Returns for Paraguay
Enciso was named to the starting XI for the match against the United States, and that alone answered the most immediate question around Paraguay's buildup. He had gone down on June 5 against Nicaragua, when discomfort in his right leg showed up around the 22nd minute and he later left the field in tears on a cart.
The injury was identified by Paraguay's medical staff as a contusion muscle injury in his right thigh. That diagnosis made his place against the co-hosts the main roster decision hanging over Paraguay's first World Cup game.
Alfaro's Opening-Lineup Call
Gustavo Alfaro made the call to start Enciso against the United States, giving Paraguay one of its most talented players a place in the opening lineup after the scare. The timing was tight: the injury came on June 5, 2026, and the World Cup start followed on June 12, with only a short window for the midfielder to recover enough to be available.
That sequence also sharpened the contrast between the friendliest-looking build-up and the actual lineup sheet. In one week, Enciso went from being helped off with a thigh problem to being listed for Paraguay's first match in the tournament.
Paraguay Faces the United States
The United States match was Paraguay's first game in this World Cup, so Enciso's inclusion shaped the opening plan from the start rather than coming as a late adjustment. For Paraguay, the lineup choice signaled that Alfaro was willing to trust a player who had been under injury concern only days earlier.
That is the practical takeaway for Paraguay's camp: Enciso is available enough to start, and the coaching staff moved him straight into the most important early assignment of the tournament. If he stays in the XI, the recovery story is already over; if he cannot hold up, Paraguay will have to solve a problem it seemed to have pushed aside before kickoff.
