U.S. routs Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener, Balogun scores twice

The United States did more than beat Paraguay in its World Cup opener. It produced a result that measured Mauricio Pochettino’s team against the standard it will need against stronger opposition, and the early read was encouraging without being conclusive. A 4-1 win at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, sent the U.S. to the top of Group D and gave it its highest-scoring World Cup match, but the larger question is whether the performance reflected genuine tactical sharpness and depth or simply the gap between the Americans and a Paraguay side still below the tournament’s elite.

The U.S. surged to a 3-0 halftime lead, the first time it has ever carried a three-goal advantage into the break in a World Cup, before Gio Reyna added the fourth in stoppage time. Folarin Balogun scored twice, including the first World Cup goals of his career, while Paraguay’s lone goal came from Mauricio after halftime. One of the U.S. goals was forced by an early own goal from Paraguay defender Bobadilla, which set the tone for a match played before 70,492 fans.

The scale of the result matters because Paraguay arrived with real credentials, not as a walkover. FIFA said the teams were meeting in a World Cup for the first time in 96 years, and Paraguay was appearing in the tournament for the first time since South Africa 2010 after finishing sixth in CONMEBOL qualifying. Pochettino had described Paraguay as a tough, aggressive, high-quality opponent coached by Gustavo Alfaro, and the U.S. answered with a first half that was cleaner and more ruthless than many expected.

Balogun’s brace carried added significance. FIFA said he became only the fourth player in the last four World Cups to score a brace in a host nation’s opening match, a reminder that the U.S. has at least one forward capable of turning pressure into goals when the game opens up. Reyna’s late finish reinforced the sense of attacking depth, but the second half also showed the limits of reading too much into a lopsided opener, as Paraguay found a way to settle after the break and score through Mauricio.

The U.S. now turns to Australia at Seattle Stadium on Friday, June 19, at 3 p.m. ET, 12 p.m. PT. That matchup will reveal far more about whether this was the beginning of a genuine tournament run or simply a strong opening against an opponent that could not match the Americans’ pace, precision and finishing.