USA did not wait to send a message at the 2026 World Cup. In their tournament opener, Mauricio Pochettino’s team secured a resounding 4-1 victory over Paraguay and made it clear that their aspirations go beyond simply being one of the host nations. In Inglewood, the show began even before the opening whistle, but once the ball was in play, the spotlight was entirely on the home team.
The lead came just seven minutes in. A play initiated by Christian Pulisic ended with an unfortunate defensive blunder by Damián Bobadilla, who ended up sending the ball into his own net to open the scoring for USA. The early blow set the tone for Paraguay, who never managed to settle on the field. The United States exploited every opening and found a constant avenue to cause damage down the left flank.
With Pulisic as the playmaker and an inspired Folarin Balogun attacking the box, the lead began to grow. The forward became the star of the night by scoring a brace that sealed the match for the host nation. Before halftime, Balogun scored his second goal with a powerful shot that reached 99 kilometers per hour, a goal that effectively crushed any attempt at a Paraguayan comeback. With those goals, the forward moved within three goals of tying Landon Donovan’s record as the top U.S. scorer in World Cups.
Paraguay found a moment of relief thanks to a goal by Maurício Magalhães, but the hope was short-lived. The United States maintained control of the match and closed out the night with another goal in the final play of the game, scored by Gio Reyna, to close the match at 4-1.
The result marked one of the most convincing performances of the World Cup’s opening round so far. The opening match ended with applause from the stands and a clear message on the field: the host nation intends to be the star of its own party.
