USA make a winning start to the tournament with an impressive victory over Paraguay.
For the first matchday of Group 4 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the third host nation of the tournament, a lively United States side, crushed a sluggish Paraguay 4-1 at Los Angeles Stadium.
In the first half, Paraguay threatened as early as the opening minute through Diego Gómez, but the ball missed the target. For the first three minutes of the match, Paraguay looked as though they might make things difficult for the United States. However, as the minutes passed, Pochettino’s team improved their performance and began to pin Paraguay back inside their own area.
The Americans responded to Diego Gómez’s chance in the 3rd minute with an off-target shot from Balogun and then continued to press. In the 7th minute, Bobadilla’s own goal settled the hosts’ nerves, and they became even more dangerous after that.
Julio Enciso tried to create danger in the 14th minute but without success. In the 16th minute, Balogun and Dest were unable to beat Orlando Gill.
As the match reached the half-hour mark, the United States increased the pressure even further. It paid off in the 31st minute through Balogun, as the Monaco forward finished clinically and left Gill with no chance to react.
In the 38th minute, Chris Richards’ header went wide. In the 43rd minute, Weston McKennie played the ball back, but Tillman missed a great opportunity.
Balogun made it 3-0 in the fourth minute of stoppage time after an individual effort.
After the break, Gustavo Alfaro’s side once again came out strongly, threatening the American goalkeeper through Sanabria. Even so, the co-hosts again controlled possession and dictated the tempo.
In the 57th minute, Tillman’s shot was blocked by defenders, while in the 60th minute he again failed to find the target.
In the 65th minute, La Albirroja tried their luck through Diego Gómez, but the ball went wide. A few minutes later, Mauricio reduced the deficit to 3-1. In the 75th minute, Tillman shot, but Gill gathered the ball. In the 76th minute, Weah was off target. In the 89th minute, the standout performer of the match, Weston McKennie, passed to Pepi, who failed to hit the target from a promising position.
The United States looked determined to score another goal and make it 4-1, and they did so in the 90th+8th minute with a superb strike from Giovanni Reyna.
Line-ups:
USA (Mauricio Pochettino): Freese – Freeman, Richards, Ream, Robinson – Adams, McKennie, Tillman (Reyna 82′) – Dest (Weah 72′), Balogun (Pepi 72′), Pulisic (Berhalter 46′).
Paraguay (Gustavo Alfaro): Gill – Cáceres (Velázquez 79′), Gómez, Alderete, Alonso – Gómez (Kaku 80′), Bobadilla (Mauricio 46′), Cubas – Almirón (Sosa 79′), Sanabria (Arce 62′), Enciso.