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  "path": "/the-usmnt-won-with-flair-can-it-win-a-grind",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-14T15:34:29.000Z",
  "site": "https://defector.com",
  "tags": [
    "Soccer",
    "2026 World Cup",
    "australia",
    "paraguay",
    "turkiye",
    "usmnt",
    "World Cup"
  ],
  "textContent": "There were a number of intriguing discoveries to be made from the first round of matches in Group D of the World Cup, or as it is coming to be known, the Group Of Deaf. Such was the torrent of nearly hysterical praise directed at the United States team after its nearly ritualistic beating of Paraguay Friday night. No U.S. team had ever been so demonstratively superior in World Cup history, and no team had the level of semi-journalistic and marketing hysteria driving home that point. In other words, a 4-1 victory has rarely looked so 4-1.\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXD1_mhODBU\n\nBut the problem of making judgments based on one match worth of data is that it provides less useful information than one thinks. For instance, what if the quiet reveal from that match is actually that Paraguay isn't very good at all? To be sure, the Americans looked and played as though they were physically more imposing and demonstrably quicker both on and off the ball, almost as if the game were too easy for them. But we know from our reading that the U.S. is typically more devoted to grind-it-out games that are hard on the eye as well as the scoreboard, so it is wise to take their Day 2 victory with the proper amount of salt. Say, a metric ton.",
  "title": "The USMNT Won With Flair. Can It Win A Grind?"
}