Caitlin Clark is like the rest of us this month; her mind is like everyone else’s on the World Cup. Fans like to say that every four years the world stops for a month, and it seems this is all too real for the Indiana Fever star, too.
Speaking to the press during pregame proceedings this Saturday, Clark confirmed she had cheered on the US men’s national team on Friday night as they took on Paraguay in their opening game of the tournament.
“I love it, I was so excited. So it was an incredible game. Obviously, the USA absolutely dominated from the start, and it was really fun. I think we play we play what Australia or Turkey next, so yeah, I’m all in…”
“I was cheering on my hotel room last night, screaming, but it was great. Great start to the World Cup.”
She also said that, as a long-time soccer fan, she believes this is one of the better men’s teams the US has had, and she’s confident they could go on a run. Also, she mentioned that she’s looking at the possibility of attending a game, but that nothing has seemed possible so far.
In the end, one journalist did ask her what she thought of the commentary and narration of the games, to which Clark said that’s not really a soccer thing, but more of a baseball thing, as soccer is such a fast-paced sport you can barely keep up with the action. The upside is that you don’t need to know that much about the game to find it rewarding, as the fundamentals are fairly basic.
How did the US do in its opening game against Paraguay?
The US men’s national soccer team dominated its opening encounter of the World Cup, beating Paraguay 4-1. The entire game was dictated by the US, with midfielder Weston McKennie pulling the strings.
Striker Folarin Balogun was the game’s goalscorer, netting two goals for the US. Winger Christian Pulisic was a constant threat for Paraguay on the left wing, providing one assist. The first goal of the game was an own-goal by Paraguay’s Damián Bonilla, but it came through the efforts of a solo move by Pulisic on the left wing.
Pulisic was preemtively taken off the game at halftime, when it was clear the game was on the bag with the Americans 3-0, as he experienced some tightness on the warm-up for the second half.
Maurício Magalhães was substituted for Paraguay at 73 minutes into the second half, and the US rounded the score at 90+8 when Giovanni Reyna scored a goal shortly after having been subbed in at the 82nd minute.
The US currently sits atop Group D of the competition, as the other two teams in the group, Australia and Turkey, have yet to play. The Americans play Australia next on Friday, at Lumen Field at 3 pm ET.
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