USMNT relentless vs. Paraguay to win World Cup opener: Balogun stars; did Pulisic get hurt?
Sports

USMNT relentless vs. Paraguay to win World Cup opener: Balogun stars; did Pulisic get hurt?

Economy World


INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The United States got its 2026 World Cup off to a thundering, near-flawless start with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in its opener Friday at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles.

After eight long years of anticipation, under the weight of immense expectations, star forward Christian Pulisic met the moment; he created two early goals that lit up a giddy crowd of 70,492.

Folarin Balogun, the striker recruited away from England, scored the second and then rifled a third into the top corner on the brink of halftime.

The goals, and the occasion, ignited tens of thousands of fans, many clad in red and white stripes. Chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” crescendoed around the opulent stadium. The first half was arguably the best half of soccer that the U.S. has ever played at a men’s World Cup.

If there was any cause for concern, it came as Pulisic was substituted at halftime, which is a potential worry. And over the second 45 minutes, as the pace slowed, Paraguay grabbed a goal in the 73rd minute. But the night ended on an exclamation point for the U.S., with substitute Gio Reyna bending in the Americans’ fourth off the outside of his boot at the death. The four goals are the most a U.S. men’s team has ever scored at a World Cup — and more than the U.S. scored during the entirety of its 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar.

All in all, it was dream start to a home World Cup around which so much hope has been built. For a generation of players charged with charting a different course for American soccer, it was a long-awaited coming-out party that will send hype into overdrive.

Here’s a closer look at a largely ideal World Cup opener for the U.S.:

Christian Pulisic celebrates during a World Cup win over Paraguay

Christian Pulisic had plenty to celebrate during the first half of the USMNT’s World Cup win over Paraguay (Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)

Pulisic sensational, but why’d he come off at half?

Pulisic and McKennie have known each other since they were young teenagers, meeting on a bus at an under-14 national team ID camp. They’ve spent nearly half their lives playing soccer together for U.S. national teams — first at youth levels, then for the senior team beginning in 2018. They, more than anybody, represent the promise of this “golden generation” of American players. And despite their sharply contrasting personalities — Pulisic an introvert, McKennie gregarious — they are close friends.

So it was poetic that they, on this stage built for them, created the opening goal in less than eight minutes.

McKennie got on the ball in midfield and sprayed the ball out to Pulisic, who snaked through two Paraguayan defenders, then squared the ball back to his teammate and friend. McKennie looked to play a ball across the box, but Paraguay defender Damián Bobadilla stuck out his foot and deflected it past his own goalkeeper to give the U.S. an early lead.

It was Pulisic again as the danger man for the U.S. just past the half hour mark. The AC Milan winger got on the ball on the left side and crossed for Balogun, who finished inside the far post.

After such a bright start for Pulisic, it was a shock to see him come off at halftime for Sebastian Berhalter. The son of former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter would add defensive bite to midfield in a 3-0 game, but it was still surprising to see the U.S.’s best player come off the field after 45 minutes.

On the FOX broadcast, reporter Jenny Taft said Pulisic signaled to his family that he “was OK,” she said, but it was not immediately clear if the change was made for tactical reasons or an injury issue. Mauricio Pochettino cleared that up some, saying that Pulisic took a kick to the calf, and he started to feel tight.

“We didn’t want to take any risks,” he said.

Over the next week, as the U.S. prepares to face Australia in Seattle, that calf will be closely monitored.

Folarin Balogun celebrates his World Cup goal vs. Paraguay

Folarin Balogun scored two first-half goals vs. Paraguay (Richard Heathcote / Getty Images)

Brilliant Balogun

Coming out of the 2022 World Cup, one of the major areas the U.S. knew it needed to address was efficiency in the final third. Most notably, the U.S. needed a No. 9 it could count on to score consistently.

In 2023, they found their answer. And it’s why Folarin Balogun was the easy pick to be the breakout player of the World Cup for the U.S.

He wasted little time showing why he could be a big reason the U.S. has a successful summer tournament. The former England under-21 striker, who committed to the U.S. in 2023, scored twice in the first half, including a brilliant and confident left-footed finish into the upper corner that gave the Americans a 3-0 lead right at halftime.

Balogun, coming off of a fantastic season at Monaco, was the subject of an over-the-top recruitment three years ago. A British-Nigerian-American forward who was scoring bags of goals while on loan from Arsenal to Reims in France’s Ligue 1, Balogun traveled to Orlando after withdrawing from England under-21 camp in 2023. The U.S. senior team just happened to be training in Central Florida, too.

The chase to win the striker over was on — and American fans spamming his Instagram helped to sway the decision. Balogun committed to the U.S. program a few months after that Orlando visit. Over the last three years, he scored nine goals with four assists in his first 27 appearances with the U.S., with many goals coming in big games or against tough opponents.

He backed up that knack for scoring in the biggest moments for the national team on Friday with his two-goal outing to open the World Cup. It reinforced why Balogun might be the most important player in the U.S. lineup not named Pulisic.

SoFi Stadium for the USA's World Cup opener vs. Paraguay

SoFi Stadium was rocking for the USMNT’s World Cup opener vs. Paraguay (Jared C. Tilton / FIFA / Getty Images)

An amazing opening atmosphere

Time and time again throughout the laborious buildup to the 2026 World Cup, the U.S. played in half-empty stadiums, in soulless environments, or even as an away team on home soil.

On Friday, fans met the moment too. They began filing into SoFi Stadium four hours before kickoff, buzzing with excitement. There were American soccer lovers from many different walks of life — Black men and White men, Latina women and Asian women, grandparents and young kids, many wearing U.S. soccer jerseys or other paraphernalia.

Overpriced tickets had generated concern that the match would not be sold out. But diehard supporters, many of whom jumped at dipping prices over the past week, decided they couldn’t miss this grand occasion. They helped propel the team, and the team propelled them, and the virtuous cycle of emotion that head coach Pochettino has long craved came to fruition.

USMNT vs. Paraguay stats at the World Cup

A new rule wrinkle: a case of ‘mistaken identity’

In the second half, the Video Assistant Referee stepped in to overturn a call. But it wasn’t a goal, it wasn’t a penalty and it wasn’t offside. The VAR stepped in to review for “mistaken identity.”

It was to overturn a foul and yellow card on Tim Ream and instead give that card for embellishment to Miguel Almirón.

Upon further review, it was clear Ream, who had insisted on his innocence, did not make contact with Almirón. And with that, the 2026 World Cup introduced a new wrinkle, and something that should put players on notice going forward at this tournament.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *