Updated June 12, 2026 at 11:34 PM EDT
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In the first FIFA World Cup match to be held on U.S. soil in more than three decades, the U.S. men's national soccer team delivered a commanding 4-1 win in their opener against Paraguay.
Four goals — two from striker Folarin Balogun plus an own goal by Paraguayan defender Damian Bobadilla and a late strike by American Gio Reyna — electrified the packed and partisan crowd at Los Angeles Stadium.
A confident and unrelenting attack from the U.S. had Paraguay on its heels much of the first half. The Americans' pressure in Paraguay's zone paid off quickly, when a pass from midfielder Weston McKennie deflected off Bobadilla for an own goal in the seventh minute.
Then, the U.S. striker Balogun took over. First, in the 31st minute, a cross from forward Christian Pulisic found the foot of Balogun, then the back of the net. Then, in the stoppage time of the first half, the Monaco striker shed two defenders to find a window, then placed a perfect strike to the upper corner of the goal, where Orlando Gill, the beleaguered Paraguayan goalkeeper, had no chance to save it.
The Americans were more subdued in a quieter second half. Pulisic was pulled at halftime for midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who became just the second son in a father-son pair to represent the U.S. in a World Cup game (his father, the former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who played in the 2002 tournament).
After the match, Pulisic told reporters that he got a "bit of a kick in the first half." He said he's "hoping it's nothing. I'm taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine in the next few days."
Paraguay midfielder Mauricio scored his team's lone goal in the 73rd minute. Late in second-half stoppage time, midfielder Reyna (a late sub) knocked in a goal to extend the U.S. lead 4-1.
Balogun's World Cup brace is the first by a U.S. player since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
He is one of 13 players representing the U.S. at the World Cup for the first time. Born in New York City to Nigerian parents and raised in London, Balogun was eligible for all three national teams but chose to join the U.S. in 2023.
Balogun's family was watching from the stands, and he called the win a statement. "A real dream, you know, is a dream. It was a dreamy night."
Friday's game was evidence of just how far the U.S. attack has come since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when the U.S. managed only three goals across all four games it played in.
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