Paraguay have relied on multiple big-time performances during their run to the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
However, perhaps no player has personified La Albirroja’s remarkable success at this summer’s tournament more than Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder Andrés Cubas.
That’s according to Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster, who’s marveled from afar at Cubas’ exploits on the world stage. That includes Tuesday’s 120-minute shift that helped Paraguay earn a shock penalty-shootout win over four-time World Cup champions Germany in the Round of 32.
“You need players who are up and ready to suffer because this actually means you have to have the mindset that you have to suffer in the game," Schuster told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday. "And just defend and run and defend and run and defend and run and wait for your moment.
“Andrés is the perfect example of this player. We always say we can be successful without any given player, but Andrés is the hardest to replace because of the way he plays and the skill set he has.”
Iron-man midfielder
Cubas has played every minute at this World Cup for Paraguay, who recovered from a 4-1 loss to the United States in their Group D opener by beating Türkiye and drawing with Australia to advance as a top third-place finisher. Then, in the Round of 32, they made their biggest statement yet against Germany.
The rugged midfielder displayed the same skillset that helped Vancouver reach the 2025 MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup finals, and has the ‘Caps sitting atop the Western Conference standings (32 points) at the World Cup break.
“I saw a stat that no other player in this World Cup has had so many interceptions and ball-winning situations,” said Schuster. “That's not a surprise to us because he's doing that constantly for us. If you speak about the defensive-minded number 6, for me, he's clearly the best in the league.
“Other sporting directors see that, and it's interesting. If you speak with one or the other, it's always ‘Well, I like this player on your team.’ Any sporting director can look and say, ‘I like Thomas Müller.’ But the player that I would like to have the most is Andrés because he is so unique and he's such a specialist in what he does.”
According to the German-born Schuster, Cubas was particularly impressive against his native country, rendering Die Mannschaft’s star-studded attack largely toothless during a 1-1 draw that was eventually settled via penalty kicks.
“There were two hearts beating in me, because on one side I'm German, and on the other side, I always root for my players,” Schuster said. “It was an interesting game to watch because I was winning on either side at the end of the day.”
MLS foundation
Cubas is one of three MLS-based players contributing to Paraguay’s World Cup campaign, along with Atlanta United playmaker Miguel Almirón and Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda.
Almirón has started three of La Albirroja’s four games, missing only their Group D finale due to suspension. Meanwhile, Ojeda made his World Cup debut off the bench in the Round of 32.
Add in Matías Galarza, the hero of their 1-0 win over Türkiye who spent the first half of the year on loan with Atlanta, and there’s plenty of MLS flavor in a Paraguay side that's reached the World Cup for the first time since 2010 via their sixth-place finish in South American qualifiers.
“The beautiful thing about this World Cup – and I got asked at the beginning: Is it good that the World Cup got extended, that we have so many more teams?” Schuster said. “Would Paraguay even be in the World Cup if we still played with the old amount of teams?
“Well, Cape Verde is a success story. Curaçao, they're celebrating that they scored a goal against Germany, and they were crying and the coach was crying. Yesterday, I saw the coach of [DR] Congo crying and saying this is the biggest success this country has ever had, and they celebrate it like winning the World Cup.”
Another upset coming?
After dispatching Germany, things won’t get any easier for Paraguay in the Round of 16: the mighty France await on Saturday at Philadelphia Stadium (5 pm ET | FOX, Telemundo, Peacock).
Led by Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé (six goals), reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembelé and an A-list supporting cast, Les Bleus are eying their third-straight tournament final and third overall World Cup title.
While France are the clear favorite, Schuster won't completely rule out Paraguay matching their run to the 2010 quarterfinals. And if they win, they'll meet Canada or Morocco on July 9 in Houston.
"Paraguay has had a tremendous success already, and they have nothing to lose in this game. That's their big advantage," Schuster said.
"... Paraguay has played Argentina and Brazil in their qualification. They play them for the Copa [América]. They’re used to playing against very, very good teams, and they got results against those teams.
"So, let's see what happens. That's a beautiful, beautiful thing about this World Cup, that such things can happen, and people don't know the results until they go to the stadium."
