USMNT Opens World Cup With 4-1 Rout of Paraguay
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- USMNT routed Paraguay 4-1 before 70,492 fans at SoFi Stadium, with the three-goal margin marking the Americans' largest World Cup victory since a pair of 3-0 wins at the 1930 tournament.
- Folarin Balogun scored twice in the first half, becoming the first American to net two goals in a World Cup match since the inaugural 1930 edition; his second was a rocket into the top corner that sent the U.S. substitutes pouring onto the field.
- Christian Pulisic delivered a world-class first half — assisting Balogun's opener and forcing a seventh-minute Paraguay own goal — before being subbed off at halftime as a precaution after taking a kick to his left calf, saying he was 'really hoping that it's nothing.'
- Mauricio Pochettino called the opening 45 minutes 'amazing' and said of the crowd, 'they realize that soccer here in America is massive. Be careful other sports.'
- Giovanni Reyna, a second-half substitute, capped the rout deep in stoppage time with a curling finish off the outside of his right foot, giving the U.S. a fourth goal and U.S. fans the performance from Reyna they have long awaited.
- Off-field tensions surfaced around the opener: fans booed Iran's flag during the opening ceremony, stadium workers who nearly struck over conditions wore 'KICK ICE OUT' pins highlighting immigration enforcement concerns, and President Donald Trump did not attend, citing scheduling conflicts — with FIFA's Gianni Infantino sitting alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio instead.
Why it matters: The U.S. couldn't have asked for a stronger tournament-opening statement: a three-goal margin unseen since 1930, a new homegrown goal-scoring hero in Balogun, and a Pochettino-led performance that could reset expectations for American soccer on a global stage — but Pulisic's calf knock introduces immediate uncertainty about the Americans' biggest star heading into their next group-stage match.
