Julio Enciso was supposed to lead Paraguay into their first World Cup in sixteen years. Instead he was carried off the pitch in tears after a friendly against Nicaragua.
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The 22 year old forward went down in the 25th minute. He knew something was wrong immediately. The stretcher came out. The tears came with it. Paraguay won 4-0. Nobody cared about the score.
Manager Gustavo Alfaro is holding onto hope. He called it a double injury. First to his side. Then to his lower back. That impact traveled into his quadriceps. Alfaro said Enciso got scared and had to come off. The words “hopefully it is nothing serious” were spoken, but they were spoken carefully. Nobody knows yet if their best young talent will be ready for Saturday.
Saturday is massive. Paraguay faces the host nation USA in Los Angeles. The opening match of their campaign. Their first World Cup finals since 2010. Enciso has been a regular starter throughout qualification. Three goals. Two assists. A constant threat. Replacing him at the last minute is not something Alfaro wants to think about.
Enciso joined Strasbourg from Brighton in September and has been lighting up Ligue 1. Twelve goals in his first season. The kid can play. He was supposed to use this World Cup to announce himself to the world. Now he is waiting on scans and trying not to imagine the worst.
Paraguay have waited over a decade to get back to this stage. Losing their most exciting attacker days before kickoff would be cruel even by football’s standards. The clock is ticking. Alfaro is praying. Enciso is in limbo.
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12 goals in his first season at Strasbourg. Kid was peaking at the perfect moment. Then one awkward collision changes everything
That image of him crying on the stretcher… every footballer’s nightmare. Years of work. One bad tackle. Gone
Double injury from one collision. Side, back, then quad. The body is connected in ways you don’t expect until something breaks
Praying the scans come back clean. A bruise he can play through. A tear ends his tournament before it starts
Come on scans. Come on recovery. Football needs Enciso at this tournament. Paraguay needs him more
USA vs Paraguay in LA on Saturday. That match just lost some serious star power if Enciso can’t go
Alfaro sounds like a manager trying to stay positive while preparing for the worst. You can hear it between the lines
Nicaragua friendly in the final warm up. Always a risk. Always that fear of injury. Now Paraguay is living the nightmare
Stretchered off in TEARS during a friendly right before the World Cup. That’s not just pain. That’s a dream slipping away 💔
At 22, he’ll have more World Cups if he stays healthy. But this one is special. First one back. Playing the hosts. The stage was set
The fact it was against Nicaragua in a friendly makes it worse. A game that meant nothing might have cost him everything
Enciso was supposed to use this World Cup as his breakout moment. Now he’s just trying to walk without pain
Paraguay’s first World Cup since 2010 and their best young star might miss it. Football is so cruel sometimes
Paraguay waiting 16 years for this moment and now their brightest talent is in limbo. The whole nation is holding its breath
Alfaro saying “he got scared” tells you everything. Players know their own bodies. When they panic, it’s usually bad