Overview
- The United States beat Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium, and the match featured a high‑profile refereeing intervention that has become the main talking point.
- Referee Danny Makkelie initially booked Tim Ream for a challenge but went to the sideline monitor after a VAR check and rescinded the yellow, instead cautioning Miguel Almiron for simulation.
- FIFA signalled support for transferring the booking under its updated mistaken‑identity guidance while saying the correct restart should have been a dropped ball rather than a U.S. free kick.
- Some media sources, citing BBC reporting, say VAR should not have been used to review the underlying foul in this case, while ex‑referee Keith Hackett praised the VAR intervention and Makkelie’s handling of the monitor review.
- The incident tests new tournament VAR procedures that allow review for mistaken identity and comes as officials and fans closely scrutinize how those rules and other World Cup VAR experiments will be applied going forward.