Balogun brace fuels USMNT's 4-1 World Cup rout of
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- Folarin Balogun scored twice in the first half, becoming the first USMNT player to bag a brace in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude's hat trick against Paraguay in 1930.
- Christian Pulisic assisted on the opening two U.S. goals before coming off at halftime as a precaution after taking a kick to the calf, per his comments to Fox Sports.
- Weston McKennie opened the scoring in the 7th minute when his pass deflected off Damián Bobadilla into the Paraguay net.
- The four goals were the most ever scored by the U.S. in a single World Cup match, a single-game record across the program's eight prior tournament appearances.
- Mauricio Pochettino's side produced the most complete team performance of his tenure, a sharp reversal from 5-2 and 2-0 losses to Belgium and Portugal just three months earlier.
- Giovanni Reyna added a stoppage-time outside-of-the-foot finish to restore the three-goal cushion after Mauricio pulled one back for Paraguay in the 73rd minute.
Why it matters: Balogun's brace ended an 88-year USMNT drought of multi-goal World Cup performances and gave Pochettino his most complete match since replacing Gregg Berhalter following the 2024 Copa America group-stage exit, though stiffer tests loom against Australia and Türkiye.
