Pulisic and McKennie pressure forces Paraguay own goal early

The United States turned early pressure into a breakthrough at SoFi Stadium, and Paraguay paid for a defensive mistake forced by sustained American urgency. In the 7th minute on June 12, 2026, Damián Bobadilla sent the ball into his own net after Christian Pulisic beat two defenders and slipped the play to Weston McKennie, whose low pass flashed across the area and deflected off the Paraguay midfielder.

The sequence gave the USMNT its first goal of the 2026 World Cup and immediately set the tone for a debut that carried unusual weight. It was the first World Cup match on home soil for the United States since 1994, and the early lead reflected a clear intent to impose pace, chase loose space, and make Paraguay defend in a scramble. Bobadilla’s own goal also went down as the first of the tournament.

Some early accounts initially credited Pulisic before the goal was officially recorded as an own goal, a small but telling wrinkle in a moment that belonged more to pressure than to luck. Pulisic’s dribble through two defenders created the opening, but McKennie’s quick, low service through the box was the decisive action that turned a dangerous attack into a scoreline-changing error.

The start mattered beyond the scoreboard because it gave the Americans control in a match that was supposed to test their ability to handle the weight of hosting. Folarin Balogun later added a second goal to make it 2-0 before halftime, reinforcing the sense that the United States was not simply waiting for a break. In the opening spell, the Americans were the team asking the questions, and Paraguay was the side forced into the mistake.