USA vs. Paraguay, Copa America 2016: Live coverage and score updates

It took an absolutely wild and stressful match to do the job, but the United States assured their advancement to the Copa America knockout rounds after beating Paraguay 1-0 in front of a loud Philadelphia crowd. Despite going down to 10 men early in the second half, they made Clint Dempsey’s first-half goal stand.

The match started off wide-open, with both teams racing forward to try to find a vital early goal. It took some impressive defending from John Brooks to keep Paraguay from scoring early. The referee also made his presence felt early and often, trying to keep the game from getting overly physical by being very free with calling fouls.

DeAndre Yedlin was sent off less than five minutes into the second half of the United States’ match against Paraguay, and in the dumbest way possible, too. He picked up a yellow card, then another less than 10 seconds after play was restarted.

He might have had some argument about the first foul not being a booking. But the second? It’s an obvious card, and right after he picked one up. If the USMNT makes it to the Copa America semifinal, Jurgen Klinsmann will be hesitant to put him back into the lineup.

The last match of Group A action in the Copa America Centenario can be a triumphant one for the United States men’s national team as they take on Paraguay. Advancement to the knockout rounds and even whom they might face are very much on the line, but a draw should see the U.S. advance -- and a win would be even better for them.

Depending on the result between Colombia and Costa Rica in the other match, simply avoiding a loss to Paraguay will get the United States playing in the knockout rounds -- but a draw would also see them finish in second place in their group, pitting them against the winners of Group B. That will likely be Brazil, a team the U.S. will desperately want to avoid, so getting a win over Paraguay to give them a chance at finishing first in Group A will be crucial.