INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Folarin Balogun fired his second goal into the top corner of Paraguay’s net before leading his American teammates to the corner of their home stadium to enjoy the excitement generated by a historic first half of the World Cup opener.
The world’s biggest soccer tournament finally returned to the United States Friday night after a generation of anticipation.
With this incredible match, it looks like the American military has also arrived.
Balogun scored two of the Americans’ three-goal streak before halftime, marking the Americans’ first home opener. world cup The dynamic 4-1 victory over Paraguay marked the first time in 32 years that they had achieved the biggest victory in the competition.
Christian Pulisic assisted the U.S. National Team with a great playmaking performance in the first half, captivating the Southern California fans with his aggressive attack and leading them to a 3-0 lead, the team’s largest in any World Cup game.
“It meant everything to us,” Pulisic said. “It was a half like that. It felt great that it worked out and the fans were excited about our performance.”
Gio Reyna scored another goal in the dying moments of second-half stoppage time, giving the Americans four goals for the first time in the history of the tournament, which dates back to 1930.
This work, this confidence, this dominance, was unlike most performances Americans have put on on the international stage over the years and decades.
They won exactly one final round of the World Cup. They have almost always struggled to score in big events, most recently scoring just three goals in four matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In this high-pressure home opener, the Americans transformed their team while playing with coach Mauricio Pochettino’s more creative system in front of a passionate, star-studded crowd of 70,492 in Los Angeles. Led by the elite talent up front of Balogun, Pulisic and Weston McKennie and the fearless play inspired by their coaches, the United States finally delivered a breakthrough performance at SoFi Stadium.
Pochettino, who took over as manager at the end of 2024, said: “It’s hard to compare with the past. We don’t know what happened in the past. I think we need to talk about today because it was a great game. It was amazing for the fans to see and be able to watch a game like this and I’m very proud today and I’m proud of us too. I think we’ve got a lot of fans and we’re increasing the number of fans of this sport here in America.”
Not everything went perfectly, with Pulisic being replaced at half-time by Sebastian Berhalter for precautionary reasons. Pochettino said Pulisic was kicked in the back of his left calf during training this week and then felt the strain during the game.
“I’m staying positive,” Pulisic said. “I don’t think it’s anything.”
Paraguay’s Mauricio scored a goal in the second half, but La Albirroja, in their first World Cup match in 16 years, found themselves at a huge disadvantage from the start.
“The United States won this game very clearly and fairly,” Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said through an interpreter. “They dominated tactically, technically and physically. … This team is a complex challenge because they have the answer to everything you throw at them.”
After the U.S. took the lead with an early own goal created by Pulisic’s playmaking, Balogun Scored in the 31st minute and again in 5 minutes First half additional time.
Striker born in New York and raised in London Balogun made his World Cup debut with the first multi-goal performance by an American player since the 1930 tournament. Balogun chose to represent the United States three years ago instead of remaining in England’s system, where he would have struggled to break into the Three Lions’ roster — and the 24-year-old Monaco pro quickly provided the top-level striker play that the U.S. roster has historically lacked.
“Mr. Pock said many times, ‘Why don’t you do us?'” Balogun said. “We have to believe. If we don’t believe in ourselves, we can’t do anything.”
Pulisic produced America’s first two goals with extraordinary runs down the left flank. In the seventh minute, the AC Milan standout deftly separated two defenders and sent a pass to McKennie, whose centering touch hit the outstretched leg of Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla and into the goal, causing chaos in the stands.
The Americans gradually strengthened their attack around Pulisic’s runs, and three minutes after Balogun’s supposed goal was ruled out for offside, Pulisic again drove down the left flank and received a pass that was deflected by the following Balogun, who smashed it into the goal.
Malik Tillman then played a perfectly weighted pass to Balogun in stoppage time, who slipped through the Paraguayan defense and brilliantly scored the top goal.
Without Pulisic, the U.S. team was less cohesive in the second half, but Reina still added the winning goal with a toe flick into the box for her first World Cup goal. It was a sweet moment for Reyna, who almost missed the Qatar World Cup amid a family dispute with former U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter.
The game, located 16 miles south of Hollywood, drew dozens of American celebrities and cultural icons, including Tom Cruise, George Lucas, Bill Gates, Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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