United States open World Cup with 4-1 rout of Paraguay as Folarin Balogun hits a brace
The co-hosts delivered a statement win in front of a Hollywood crowd at SoFi Stadium, with Folarin Balogun scoring twice in a dominant first-half display.
A star-studded opening
Friday night at SoFi Stadium belonged to American soccer, at least for one evening. Before kick-off, Katy Perry and rapper Future led an understated opening ceremony beneath the venue's transparent roof, while Halle Berry, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Lucas looked on from the stands. President Donald Trump did not attend the first World Cup match on US soil since 1994, represented instead by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Former US captain Tony Meola, reflecting on the growth of the domestic game, told the crowd he "never would have imagined this."
First-half blitz
Mauricio Pochettino's side wasted no time imposing themselves. In the seventh minute, Christian Pulisic drove down the left, slipped the ball to Weston McKennie, and Damian Bobadilla turned the low cross into his own net. Pulisic, the AC Milan attacker, was unplayable before being withdrawn at the interval. His most damaging work came in a four-minute spell just after the half-hour mark: first he set up Folarin Balogun for a composed right-footed finish, then watched as the Monaco striker danced past two defenders and curled a left-footed shot into the top corner deep into first-half stoppage time.
I am over the moon. Three goals in the first half of a World Cup opener at home is fantastic. What a great evening.
Paraguay's lone reply
The second period was a more controlled affair, aided by Pulisic's early substitution. Paraguay pressed higher and substitute Mauricio reduced the arrears in the 73rd minute, losing his marker on a set piece after Julio Enciso's delivery. Malik Tillman missed a chance to restore the three-goal cushion moments later, but the Americans never looked likely to concede again.
- Damian Bobadilla own goal gives USA 1-0 lead (7')
- Folarin Balogun scores first goal, USA 2-0 (31')
- Balogun doubles the lead with a curled shot, USA 3-0 (45+5')
- Mauricio pulls one back for Paraguay, 3-1 (73')
- Giovanni Reyna seals the 4-1 win with an outside-foot finish (90+8')
Reyna puts a bow on it
Giovanni Reyna added the final flourish eight minutes into added time, a deft outside-of-the-foot strike that sealed a 4-1 scoreline. US captain Tim Ream called it "exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament," and the result gives the hosts early control of Group D, with matches against Australia and Turkey to follow.
That's exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament.
A launchpad for the hosts
The victory, in front of a full house dotted with stars-and-stripes jerseys, was the kind of statement the American federation craved. Isaac Pizarro, a 42-year-old Florida sales manager who spent $1,900 per ticket, was one of thousands who left believing the team "can go all the way." For a nation still hoping to ignite a World Cup fever, the night could hardly have gone better.
