World Cup
The United States rode arguably the best World Cup half in the history of the men’s team to an easy win.
Folarin Balogun, center, celebrates scoring for the United States in its World Cup opener against Paraguay. AP Photo/Andre Penner
June 13, 2026 | 12:03 AM
4 minutes to read
The United States began its 2026 World Cup journey with a decisive 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday night, earning all three points in the process.
A trio of first half goals — a Paraguay deflected own goal, and two scores from forward Folarin Balogun — put the U.S. in a commanding position. From there, the home team largely coasted, while U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino chose to use his substitutions and begin strategically resting starters.
Paraguay managed to grab a consolation goal through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but it was far too little too late against an otherwise dominant U.S. display. A fourth goal from Gio Reyna right at the end capped one of the best nights for the U.S. men’s team in its World Cup history.
Here are a few takeaways:
A flawless first half
After literally years of speculation about how the U.S. would start in its second home World Cup, only the most optimistic of fans would’ve predicted anything close to what took place over the opening 45 minutes.
Paraguay actually managed to record the first shot of the game via Diego Gómez in the second minute, but essentially from that point, it was all U.S. in the opening half.
All eyes were on Christian Pulisic, and he delivered almost instantaneously after recording his first touches on the ball. The 27-year-old received the ball on the left wing in the seventh minute, darting between two defenders in a flash before cutting the ball across the goal mouth.
With Balogun lurking, Paraguay center-back Raúl Bobadilla tried to get a foot on the cross, but accidentally deflected it into his own net. It was a dream start for the U.S., hoping to get going on the right foot.
With an early lead, the U.S. seemed to settle into the game more comfortably, passing it around with aplomb. Totaling 71-percent of the possession at halftime, the U.S. set a modern World Cup record.
And beyond the additional first half goals (more on that below), the U.S. defensive setup looked elite at times. Paraguay was utterly unable to find an outlet even when they were able to recover possession. It was a promising display from all standpoints for Pochettino’s team.
Balogun breaks out
One of the X-factors on the U.S. team is Balogun, the 24-year-old Monaco forward who scored 13 Ligue 1 goals this season. His form with the national team has been less consistent, but he showcased his true quality on Friday.
In what quickly became a familiar pattern, Pulisic escaped down the left wing in the 31st minute before sliding the ball across the goal. This time, the cross reached Balogun’s right foot, and he skillfully slotted it home.
¡GOLAZO DE ESTADOS UNIDOS! ¡ESPECTACULAR JUGADA!
Otra vez Pulisic, pone un penal en movimiento a Folarin Balogun y este la manda al fondo de las redes.
Los estadounidenses ya vencen 2-0 a Paraguay. pic.twitter.com/8kelUEcIyC
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 13, 2026
And just when Paraguay might have started to think they could get to halftime trailing by just two goals, Balogun struck again.
After a well-placed vertical pass from midfielder Malik Tillman, Balogun slipped his defender and simply outran him toward Paraguay’s goal. The forward then showed his skill, cutting inside before lashing a left-footed finish into the upper corner, causing an eruption from the crowd.
¡GOLEADA DE ESTADOS UNIDOS!
¡Tremendo golazo de Folarin Balogun! Increíble jugada dentro del área y marca su DOBLETE… ¡3-0!
Baile total de los estadounidenses ante Paraguay. pic.twitter.com/0waPWq126A
— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 13, 2026
A muted second half
With a commanding lead at halftime, there was a danger of complacency from the U.S. team. That didn’t completely happen, but the home team definitely had a little less verve to its play in the second half.
Pochettino eventually made a bevy of subs as he began looking beyond the game at hand.
Paraguay’s lone goal was the product of bad defending and poor positioning from the U.S. in the moment, but ultimately proved to be an aberration.
Gio Reyna added one more at the end
One of the more controversial picks to make the U.S. squad, midfielder Gio Reyna was subbed on for Tillman in the 82nd minute.
Reyna has played less (and not been in good form) at the club level in the past year, but eventually proved himself with one of the last kicks of the game.
Though it mattered little in the short term, Reyna’s skillful outside-of-the-foot finish was a highlight for fans, and could be a precursor for future success. The former Dortmund standout remains one of the most talented players on the U.S. roster. An uptick in confidence could produce results for the Americans down the line in the World Cup.
Gio Reyna’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal was a trivela to seal it for the @USMNT 🤯
It’s the first four-goal outing for the US men’s squad in a FIFA World Cup pic.twitter.com/5DSMGj9wNq
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 13, 2026
A postgame Pulisic update
The one potential rain cloud that loomed over the sunshine U.S. opener was the slightly jarring substitution of Pulisic at halftime.
Though it might have initially been chalked up as a direct commitment from Pochettino to rest his best player with the team up 3-0, it was later noted by Fox sideline reporter Jenny Taft that the U.S. coach would address the matter after the game.
In the postgame press conference, Pochettino told reporters (via Tom Bogert) that the substitution was precautionary.
“We didn’t want to take any risks,” Pochettino told reporters.
For U.S. fans, that will be (mostly) a sigh of relief. Now the U.S. can officially turn its attention to the second group stage game, which will be played against Australia on Friday, June 19, in Seattle at 3 p.m.
Hayden Bird
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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