The United States men’s soccer team delivered a commanding performance in their World Cup opener Friday night, defeating Paraguay 4-1 at Los Angeles Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd.
Striker Folarin Balogun led the charge with two first-half goals, helping the Americans get off to an ideal start in their home tournament campaign within Group D.
“Amazing result,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said. “It’s exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament.”
The Americans pierced Paraguay’s strong defensive setup early, taking the lead in the seventh minute. Christian Pulisic skillfully maneuvered between two defenders before connecting with Weston McKennie, whose cross was deflected into the goal by Damian Bobadilla for an own goal.
Following the first-half hydration break, Pulisic again created magic down the left flank, delivering a pinpoint cross to Balogun, who directed his shot beyond diving goalkeeper Orlando Gill to double the advantage.
Balogun completed his impressive first-half performance with a spectacular strike just before the break, controlling a long ball while fending off a sliding defender, then beating two more players before firing a left-footed blast into the upper corner.
In a surprising move, Pulisic was removed from the match at halftime, with team officials saying coach Mauricio Pochettino would explain the substitution following the game.
Paraguay showed renewed energy after the interval and managed to find the scoresheet in the 73rd minute through substitute Mauricio, who capitalized on a U.S. defensive mistake.
However, the Americans maintained their dominance throughout, with Gio Reyna capping the scoring with a clever strike from outside the penalty area using the outside of his right foot in the match’s final moments.
“The opposition were better than us,” Paraguay defender Junior Alonso said.
“We were able to play further forward (in the second half). These are things we need to improve on for the next match. We have two games left, and we must improve. Regretting things won’t help us at all; we need to use these mistakes to improve and put in a better performance that brings us closer to victory.”
Ream expressed confidence his squad would build on this strong opening performance.
“There’s not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling,” he said.
“You want to start the tournament off on a good foot, scoring four goals, getting three points. It sets you up for the rest of the group stage, for sure.”
The match, played beneath Los Angeles Stadium’s enormous semi-translucent dome, attracted notable celebrities including Tom Cruise and David Beckham, who had received a Hollywood Walk of Fame star earlier that day.
Los Angeles Stadium, which houses the NFL’s Rams and Chargers and will host next year’s Super Bowl, reached its World Cup capacity of 70,492 despite earlier worries about expensive ticket prices.
The United States entered this tournament hoping to surpass their round-of-16 performance from Qatar.
Paraguay earned their spot through the challenging CONMEBOL qualification process, marking their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
This historic match represented the first men’s World Cup game played on American territory in 32 years, featuring a pre-match show by singer Katy Perry and a parade of participating nations. Some crowd members could be heard booing when Iran’s flag entered the stadium, with Iran scheduled to play their tournament opener in Los Angeles on Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended the match alongside Paraguay President Santiago Pena and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
The United States will next face Australia on June 19 in Seattle, while Paraguay heads to San Francisco for their match against Turkey.
