ATLANTA, Ga. — The United States Men’s National Team heads into the knockout stage brimming with confidence after defeating Paraguay 2-0 to finish atop Group D with a perfect record through its first three World Cup matches.

The Americans opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Christian Pulisic delivered a low cross across the face of goal that found Antonee Robinson, who calmly tapped the ball past Paraguayan goalkeeper Gastón Olveira. The assist was Pulisic’s first of the tournament.

The USMNT doubled its advantage just before halftime with a selfless play from Folarin Balogun. After using his speed to break free behind the Paraguayan defense, Balogun found himself one-on-one with Olveira. Rather than taking the shot himself, he squared the ball to Weston McKennie, who finished into an open net for a 2-0 lead in the 45th minute.

Paraguay emerged with more urgency after the break and generated nine second-half shots, placing four on target. However, few of the attempts seriously troubled goalkeeper Matt Freese, who recorded the clean sheet as the Americans comfortably protected their lead.

The statistics underscored the United States’ dominance. The Americans held a commanding edge in possession, completed 83 percent of their passes, and generated 4.0 expected goals compared to Paraguay’s 1.4.

With three wins from three matches, the United States enters the knockout rounds riding a wave of momentum and looking every bit like a team capable of making a deep tournament run.