Julio Enciso’s night ended in tears on Friday in Asunción, where Paraguay beat Nicaragua 4-0 in a final warmup before the World Cup but lost one of its most watched players in the first half. The 22-year-old went off on a stretcher after feeling pain in his right leg and was replaced by Mauricio Magalhaes.

That is why his name is now driving the conversation around Paraguay. Enciso is one of the team’s figures, and the timing could hardly be worse: Paraguay opens the World Cup on Friday, June 12, against the United States in Inglewood, California, at 10 p.m. Argentina time.

The injury came around the 21st minute after a challenge from behind that was not called a foul. Enciso dropped to the grass near the adductor area, then left the field crying, even as Paraguay kept its footing and turned the match into a one-sided farewell for its home crowd at the Defensores del Chaco.

There is still an important gap in the story. The early read was that the injury would not be serious, but Paraguay was waiting for an MRI to confirm that assessment. Until that scan is done, the question is not whether Enciso matters — he does — but whether he will be ready for the tournament that begins in days.

Paraguay had already taken control before he came off. Alejandro Romero Gamarra opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 16th minute, Miguel Almirón made it 2-0 in the 41st, Matías Galarza added the third in the 61st and Gustavo Maidana finished the 4-0 rout in the 66th. After the opener against the United States, Paraguay will face Turkey on June 20 and Australia on June 25 in Group D, and the scan on Enciso may end up shaping that trip far more than the scoreline did.