Get free access to the most comprehensive World Cup coverage in The Athletic app.One notable feature of the World Cup so far has been a somewhat primitive approach from many teams to starting a match.In a continuation of the trend we’ve seen in European domestic leagues in recent seasons — double European champions Paris Saint-Germain have been particularly fond of it — many teams are opting not to retain possession or launch an attack, but simply boot the ball off the pitch as close to the opposition corner flag as possible.Three sides have done it so far: Qatar, Morocco and the United States. At the start of the USMNT’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay at SoFI Stadium, the ball was rolled back to midfielder Malik Tillman, who responded by thumping it out of play for a Paraguay throw.It looks ridiculous but it can prove effective.The basic idea is to force the opposition on the back foot from the start, getting the ball in the opposition half and getting the other team trying to pass the ball out from a dangerous position before they’ve settled down, right when players’ touches are uncertain, passes might be slightly wayward, and when your side’s attackers are full of energy and intent.The USMNT’s example was not a particularly great advert for the concept as Paraguay cleared their lines effectively. It certainly helped that while the ball went out of play about 10 yards from the corner flag, which is where Paraguay right-back Juan Caceres retrieved the ball from…