US begins its World Cup with impressive win over Paraguay
The U.S. men's national soccer team delivered a statement performance on Friday night, dismantling Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in the team's first home World Cup match in more than three decades.
The victory marks the largest margin of victory in U.S. World Cup history and the first time the Americans have scored four goals in a World Cup match. The team had never previously scored more than three in a tournament game and managed only three goals total across four matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Folarin Balogun, making his World Cup debut, led the way with two goals, becoming the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930. Christian Pulisic was instrumental in the buildup, creating both of Balogun's goals with aggressive runs down the left side of the field.
The scoring opened early when Pulisic split two defenders in the seventh minute and passed to Weston McKennie. McKennie's centering touch deflected off Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla and into the net for an own goal, sending the crowd of 70,492 into celebration.
The Americans continued to press forward, and in the 31st minute Pulisic again drove down the left flank and delivered a deflected pass to a trailing Balogun, who finished to extend the lead to 2-0. Just before halftime, Malik Tillman sent a weighted long pass to Balogun, who held off defenders and curled a shot into the far top corner in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, sending the U.S. into the break with a commanding 3-0 advantage.
Pulisic, who plays his club soccer for AC Milan, was substituted at halftime for Sebastian Berhalter. The U.S. did not provide an immediate explanation, though Pulisic appeared to signal to family in the stands that he was uninjured.
Paraguay pulled one back in the second half through Maurício, but the damage was already done. La Albirroja was playing in its first World Cup match in 16 years and could not recover from the early deficit.
Gio Reyna capped the night in the closing moments of stoppage time, gliding into the box and toe-flicking home his first World Cup goal. The moment carried personal significance for Reyna, who saw limited playing time at the Qatar World Cup amid a public dispute with former head coach Gregg Berhalter.
The match represented a sharp stylistic shift under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, whose more creative system appeared to unlock the American attack. The team moves forward with momentum as it continues its World Cup campaign on home soil.
The atmosphere drew a notable crowd of celebrities and cultural figures, with Tom Cruise, George Lucas, Bill Gates, Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar among those in attendance at the stadium, located about 10 miles south of Hollywood.
