Paraguay’s football association has made official what was merely a formality: Miguel Almirón is headed to the World Cup. Gustavo Alfaro unveiled his 26-man roster on Monday morning, which also includes soon-to-be former Atlanta United midfielder Matias Galarza.
Paraguay, participating in its first World Cup since Tata Martino led the team in 2010, has been placed in Group D, where it will open against the United States at SoFi Stadium on June 12. That’s followed by a match against Türkiye on June 19 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara before ending the group stage there against Australia on June 25 against Australia.
This has been a long wait for Almirón, who was a teenager in Cerro Porteño’s academy during La Albirroja‘s last World Cup. Though the 32-year-old isn’t the player he was in 2017 and 2018, his lifelong dream of playing in the tournament has finally come true.
Almirón and Galarza are among four MLS players to be called into the Paraguayan squad, along with Andres Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps) and Brayan Ojeda (Orlando City).
Paraguay World Cup roster
Goalkeepers: Gatito Fernández (Cerro Porteño), Orlando Gill (San Lorenzo), Gastón Olveira (Olimpia)
Defenders: Juan Cáceres (Dynamo Moscow), Gustavo Gómez (Palmeiras), Gustavo Velázquez (Cerro Porteño), Fabián Balbuena (Grêmio), Júnior Alonso (Atlético Mineiro), Omar Alderete (Sunderland), José Canale (Lanús), Alexandro Maidana (Talleres)
Midfielders: Damián Bobadilla (São Paulo), Andrés Cubas (Vancouver Whitecaps), Diego Gómez (Brighton & Hove Albion), Matías Galarza (Atlanta United), Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra (Al Ain), Braian Ojeda (Orlando City), Maurício Magalhães (Palmeiras)
Forwards: Alex Arce (Independiente Rivadavia), Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United), Isidro Pitta (Red Bull Bragantino), Ramón Sosa (Palmeiras), Gabriel Ávalos (Independiente), Antonio Sanabria (Cremonese), Julio Enciso (Strasbourg), Gustavo Caballero (Portsmouth)
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