Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun lead U.S. to impressive World Cup win over Paraguay

It was a game eight years in the making. The first World Cup match on American soil in more than a generation and the start of a tournament that has the potential to alter the direction of soccer in this country for the next generation.

And the U.S. seized on every bit of that opportunity Friday, with Christian Pulisic setting up two goals and Folarin Balogun scoring twice in his World Cup debut, sparking an impressive 4-1 victory over Paraguay at a sold-out SoFi Stadium that was far more one-sided than the score indicated.

"This being in America, having this crowd around us, seeing the red, white, and blue, all the red-and-white striped shirts in the crowd, it's awesome," Pulisic said. "It's really pushing us forward. We just hope it continues like that."

The U.S., which needed a big effort to start the tournament, was on the front foot from the start, going in front to stay in the seventh minute - although it was Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla who got credit for the goal after stepping in front of Balogun and deflecting in a cross from Weston McKennie.

Pulisic, the American star who is under intense pressure to perform in this tournament, set up the goal, pushing the ball between a pair of defenders before poking it on for McKennie in the center of the box. Bobadilla then did the rest, inadvertently sticking his right foot in front of the ball and bouncing it by Paraguayan keeper Orlando Gil.

Balogun appeared to double the lead coming out of the hydration break midway through the opening half, but the goal was negated by an offside call. That only delayed the second goal, however, with Balogun making it 2-0 by one-timing in a perfect feed from Pulisic from the penalty spot in the 31st minute.

Balogun added to the U.S. advantage just before the intermission, running on to a perfectly weighted through ball from Malik Tillman, stepping through a challenge from Omar Alderete entering the penalty area and turning around Paraguayan captain Gustavo Gómez before left-footing a shot into the top left corner to complete his first brace for the national team and the first by an American in a World Cup game since 1930. That one also came against Paraguay.

Gil was just a spectator on the play, with no chance to best the save. The goal marked the first time Paraguay had given up three scores in a World Cup game - much less one half - since 2002 and it came at the end of what was arguably the best opening 45 minutes a U.S. team has played in the tournament in decades.

Balogun immediately looked to where he said he had a large group of friends and family members watching in the stadium.

"So many. I had to sort a lot of tickets," he said. "It's a dream, it's a dream night, you know? I've not been able to take it all in after this."

But it's also just the start of the World Cup.

"The first game is always the most difficult, to get the nerves out of the way," he said. "And you know we were able to do that really quickly. You want a result like this. It gives you a lot of confidence for the next game."

Pulisic, who said he took a kick to his left calf in the first half, was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter to start the second, but the U.S. continued to dominate in every way it was possible to dominate, controlling the ball for nearly 60 of the 90 minutes and completing more than twice as many passes. Paraguay's first shot on goal didn't come until the 73rd minute when Mauricio, a halftime substitute, took advantage of a slow-reacting U.S. defense to pull a goal back.

Gio Reyna then closed out the scoring for the U.S. with a goal deep in stoppage time.

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino also got a solid game out of center back Chris Richards, playing for the first time since tearing two ligaments in his left ankle a month ago.

"We really played well," Pochettino said. "But that is only the start. We need to enjoy the start of the tournament but knowing that we need to keep going and try to do better."

This World Cup is the largest and most ambitious sporting event in history, with three host countries - Canada and Mexico, in addition to the U.S. - and a record 48 teams playing 104 games in 16 cities across four time zones. A long run by the U.S., playing on home soil, could excite a nation and give soccer the kind of boost it hasn't seen since 1994, the last time a World Cup was played here.

"It's a World Cup and it's in America. People came out," McKennie said. "There's a lot of people here that maybe have never come out to support us. But hopefully today, with this performance, they can see and connect with us. They can see the joy that we have when we play.

"This electricity in the stadium, and the passion, even from Paraguay fans, that's one thing that's gonna change soccer here. I think a lot of people will be touched by the passion."

The Americans will face Australia in the second of three group-stage games next Friday in Seattle, where a draw will all but guarantee them a spot in the round of 32, something Pulisic said should be just the first objective for this team.

"All in all, just an incredible start," Pulisic said. "But there's a lot more stuff to do."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 8:41 PM.