The United States, co-host of the World Cup, can be «too fair» in matches and must improve in the dark arts of football for its opening match against Paraguay, midfielder Cristian Roldan said on Tuesday.
The US kicks off its campaign against the highly experienced South Americans on Friday and is under pressure to surpass a group that also includes Australia and Turkey.
After Saturday’s friendly defeat to Germany, coach Mauricio Pochettino urged his men to «learn to play on the edge of the rules», and Roldan echoed those words during the team’s training camp on Tuesday.
«I think this is one thing we can definitely get better at,» he told AFP.
“I think being a little smarter, understanding that sometimes being too honest is probably too big a mistake for us.
“We have to be a little smarter in the way we manage games, the way we make mistakes, stay on the ground a little longer, you know?”
The US recently faced Paraguay in a friendly match in November. Although the US won 2-1, the tough match ended in an injury time battle.
Australia and Turkey are also expected to provide tough challenges for the co-hosts. But the memories of that match in Paraguay are currently top of mind for the Americans.
“I think these are things we can learn from different countries, but Paraguay does that very well,” Roldan said of the opposition’s confrontational and street-oriented style.
The US has to be “smart, not throw it out the window and not play into what they are doing… which is very important for us to be able to control the game,” he said.
Also read | ‘It doesn’t matter’: US star Reyna looks past the World Cup scandal
Roldan, 31, is one of the more experienced members of the 26-man United States squad, all of whom trained together for the first time at base camp on Tuesday.
The Seattle Sounders defensive midfielder, who has earned 47 caps since his debut in 2017, is not considered likely to start for the US on Friday.
But he said he sees his role as an enforcer who can add extra intensity when necessary to a U.S. team that has more technical skills and attacking flair than in previous World Cups.
“It seems really funny to say, but you’re a dog in there, right?” Roldan said of his work.
“I think ultimately that’s what got me here: being intense… making sure I fully energize our group.
“If I’m not in the starting line-up it’s ‘how can I help the boys off the pitch, or even at half-time?’
“But I really think being intense is what got me here, and I have to keep doing it.”
Published on June 10, 2026
