The United States kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign in impressive fashion, securing a dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Los Angeles, with Folarin Balogun netting twice to lead the co-hosts to an emphatic opening win.
Backed by a vibrant home crowd, Mauricio Pochettino’s men delivered a confident and attacking performance in their Group D opener, collecting all three points and sending an early statement of intent in the tournament.
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The hosts made a fast start and broke the deadlock within seven minutes. Christian Pulisic drove forward through the Paraguayan defence before setting up Weston McKennie, whose low cross was inadvertently turned into the net by defender Damian Bobadilla for an own goal.
The early breakthrough settled the Americans and allowed them to take control of the match.
Balogun appeared to have doubled the lead midway through the first half, but his effort was ruled out for offside. The Monaco striker, however, quickly made amends.
Just three minutes later, Pulisic was again the architect, delivering a perfectly timed pass that Balogun clinically fired past goalkeeper Orlando Gill to make it 2-0.
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The forward struck again before halftime to put the game firmly in the United States’ grasp. Released by an excellent through ball from Malik Tillman, Balogun showed strength and composure to shrug off a defender before curling a superb finish into the top corner.
His brace saw him become only the second American player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match, matching a feat previously achieved by Bert Patenaude, who recorded the tournament’s first-ever hat-trick against Paraguay in 1930.
Paraguay attempted to mount a response after the break and briefly reduced the deficit through Mauricio. The attacker, who was born in Brazil, latched onto a pass from Julio Enciso before calmly slotting the ball beyond goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Any hopes of a Paraguayan comeback were short-lived, however, as the United States continued to dominate possession and create scoring opportunities.
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The victory was wrapped up in style deep into stoppage time when substitute Giovanni Reyna produced a moment of brilliance.
Receiving the ball outside the penalty area, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder curled a magnificent strike into the corner of the net with the outside of his boot to cap off a memorable night for the hosts.
The convincing 4-1 result equalled the largest winning margin ever recorded by the United States at a FIFA World Cup, matching their 3-0 victories over Paraguay and Belgium at the 1930 tournament.