How a fiery friendly against Paraguay helped forge the USMNT’s World Cup identity

The USMNT opens its World Cup campaign against Paraguay on Friday, a rematch of a November friendly in Philadelphia that turned into a brawl during stoppage time when USMNT's Alex Freeman and Paraguay's Gustavo Gomez clashed over a throw-in. The melee, which saw defender Miles Robinson put in a headlock and coach Mauricio Pochettino rushing onto the field and slipping, became a bonding moment for the American squad. Players and staff credited the incident with forging a stronger team identity and a combative mentality heading into the tournament.