LOS ANGELES STADIUM — Four years ago, at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the U.S. men’s national team scored just three goals in four games. It took the team just 45 minutes of the 2026 event to equal that output. And then another 45 minutes to make history.
The tournament co-hosts kicked off their World Cup campaign on Friday with aplomb, running out to a three-goal lead in the first half over Paraguay on the strength of two goals from forward Folarin Balogun. The U.S. had not scored three times in the opening stanza of any World Cup since its 2002 opener against Portugal, which began a memorable run to that year’s quarterfinals — still the best performance at the planet’s biggest sporting event since the inaugural tournament in 1930.
Do you believe in omens?
It wasn’t a perfect start to the World Cup — the Paraguayans pulled one back in the second half before Gio Reyna scored a golazo with the outside of his right foot deep into second half stoppage time — but it was close. And with that last score, it became the first time ever the U.S. scored four goals in a men’s World Cup match.
Here are my takeaways following the USA’s dominant 4-1 triumph:
1. USA Makes Its Own Luck In An Empathic Win
United States vs Paraguay Extended Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
In baseball, they say the first at-bat of a new season sets the tone for everything that happens after. In the first game of a World Cup, the first goal of the tournament is even more important.
The USA got there fewer than seven minutes into Friday’s match, following a ferociously intense start. It was a little bit fortunate, with Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla inadvertently turning Weston McKennie’s attempted feed to forward Folarin Balogun past keeper Orlando Gill for an own goal.
But you make your luck at this level, and the Americans certainly did, with defender Alex Freeman starting the play almost 100 yards from the visiting net with a long pass to McKennie, who found Christian Pulisic out wide before getting a return pass from the Stars and Stripes top attacker.
It was the third-fastest lead the U.S. has ever taken at a World Cup. For a team looking to make a deep run on home soil this summer, omens don’t come much better than that.
“The first game is always the most difficult, to get the nerves out of the way,” Balogun said. “We were able to do that really quickly.”
2. Folarin Balogun Lives Up To The Billing
(Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
During a lengthy interview last September, the USA’s top striker told me that he often daydreamed about lining up for the national anthem in this stadium before the country’s first game at the 2026 World Cup. He surely thought about scoring in it, too.
The New York-born, London-reared Balogun, who chose to play for the USA over England three years ago, thought he’d found the net in the 28th minute, only for VAR to cancel it out for offside. Three minutes later, Balogun collected a Pulisic pass and beat Gill again. There was no question that this one would count.
The 24-year-old wasn’t done, putting Mauricio Pochettino’s team up by three on the stroke of halftime with his second of the match. It marked the first time in 96 years that any American had a multi-goal performance in a single World Cup match, when Bert Patenaude had a hat trick, also against Paraguay in 1930.
It was a strike worthy of history.
“It was a dreamy night,” Balogun said afterward. “I visualized my debut in the World Cup, scoring, but yeah, the reality did surpass that, scoring two goals, and the second goal was a fantastic goal as well.”
“The kid’s insane, Pulisic said of Balogun. “He’s lethal right now in front of goal. We’re really lucky to have him.”
3. Concern For Christian Pulisic?
While Balogun was the obvious Man of the Match, Pulisic was almost as important; Pochettino’s No. 10 was at the heart of almost every foray into the Paraguayan side of the field during that pulsating start. But when the second period began, Pulisic was on the bench. There was no immediate word on why. Is he injured? Was it precautionary?
(Kelvin Kuo / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Or, with such a lopsided advantage, did Pochettino simply decide to rest arguably his most irreparable offensive weapon ahead of next week’s second Group D encounter, against Australia in Seattle?
“We didn’t want to take any risks,” Pochettino said after the 4-1 win.
Television cameras seemed to show Pulisic indicating to his family members that he was fine. But for a player who has frequently battled injury — and who’s slick dribbling ability and status always invites robust tackles — it’s something to keep an eye on as the first round progresses.
“I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic explained. “Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days.”
4. The Home Team Can’t Get Ahead Of Itself
(Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images)
Sure, the American players earned the right to celebrate following such a dominant and commanding performance in which they enjoyed almost 70 percent of possession against an opponent that was chasing almost the entire match. U.S. supporters definitely are; how many new fans did this team make over those incredible first 45? Still, they conceded another preventable goal before Reyna added the fourth.
Make no mistake: Pochettino will be telling his charges to stay humble and focused, even if history suggests that the squad now already has a foot in the second round. He’s right. There are still two group games left; finishing first will be hugely beneficial if and when they reach the knockout stage.
The home team has a ton of momentum, but the hardest work of all remains ahead of it.
“There’s still a lot more than we want to do,” said Pulisic. “We’ll enjoy this one tonight, spend some time with our families, then we’re going to get right back to work.
“We can take a deep breath,” he added. “There’s still so much more we want to accomplish in this tournament.”
4 ½. Next Up Are The Socceroos In Seattle
As crucial as taking all three points from their first World Cup match was, beating Australia on June 19 could clinch Group D and make the group finale, back here against Türkiye on June 25, moot depending on other results. (Australia and Türkiye meet on Saturday.) With this one done, that match now becomes the USA’s singular focus when Pochettino’s squad returns to training at its base in Irvine, California, on Monday.
