The wait was over. The nerves were real. And then, in the seventh minute, SoFi Stadium shook.
For the first time in 32 years, World Cup football was back on American soil — and the United States men's national team made sure nobody inside that packed house in Inglewood, California, would forget Friday night. A breathtaking 4-1 victory over Paraguay in their Group D opener sent a message to the rest of the tournament: the hosts are here, they are ready, and they are dangerous.
Folarin Balogun scored twice. Christian Pulisic ran the Paraguayan backline ragged for 45 minutes. And Giovanni Reyna capped the night with a stunning strike in stoppage time that brought the whole stadium to its feet one final time. This was not just a win. It was a statement.
An Opening Dream
Mauricio Pochettino's side showed none of the anxiety that could so easily have crept in on an occasion this big. The crowd of tens of thousands — some of whom reportedly paid up to $2,000 a ticket — barely had time to settle before the United States broke through.
In the seventh minute, Pulisic split two Paraguayan defenders with a clever run and delivered a precise ball to Weston McKennie. His attempt was deflected off Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla and into the net — an own goal, but one created entirely by the sharp movement and intent of the USMNT attackers. The stadium did not care how the goal went in. It erupted.
"All in all, just an incredible start," Pulisic said after the match. "But there's a lot more we still have to do."
That self-awareness was appropriate. A great opening goal is one thing. What the Americans produced for the next 38 minutes was something else altogether.
Balogun Takes Centre Stage
If Pulisic was the creative engine in the first half, Balogun was the finisher who made it count. The striker — a dual national raised in England — has carried the weight of expectation heading into this tournament, and he answered with a performance that will live long in the memory of American football fans.
His first goal came in the 31st minute, a composed finish from a Pulisic cross that showed exactly the kind of clinical edge the USMNT has sometimes lacked in previous tournaments. He was calm, deliberate, and deadly. The stadium went wild.
Just before the half-time whistle, Balogun added his second. Collecting the ball on the edge of the box, he dribbled past two Paraguayan defenders and drove the ball into the upper corner — a strike clocked at 61 miles per hour. It was the goal of a player operating at the peak of his confidence, and it sent the United States into the break with an almost surreal 3-0 lead.
"I think the first game is always the most difficult, you know, to get the nerves out of the way," Balogun reflected afterwards. "You want a result like this and it gives you a lot of confidence for the next game."
It was the United States' best first half under Pochettino — arguably one of the best 45 minutes of football this team has ever played at a World Cup.
Pulisic's Exit and a Shift in Tone
The second half brought a different kind of tension. Pochettino, perhaps mindful of a long tournament ahead, removed Pulisic at the interval. The 27-year-old AC Milan forward had taken a knock to his calf late in the first half and the team did not want to risk aggravating it. He left the pitch having already stamped his authority on the game.
His absence was felt. Without his energy on the left, the Americans lost some of the attacking momentum that made the first half so breathtaking. Paraguay began to grow into the match, finding more space and showing why they remain a resilient South American side capable of making any team uncomfortable.
In the 73rd minute, Mauricio Magalhães pulled one back for Paraguay — a goal that briefly shifted the mood inside SoFi Stadium as the energy that had been so loud and relentless quietened just a little. La Albirroja never truly threatened an unlikely comeback, but the goal served as a reminder that in World Cup football, the game is never truly over until the final whistle.
"I'm really hoping that it's nothing," Pulisic said of his calf. "Taking a little bit of precaution today."
Reyna's Moment of Magic
Then came Gio Reyna.
In the dying seconds of the match, deep into stoppage time, the American midfielder collected the ball from about 17 yards out on the right side of the box and curled it — with the outside of his boot — into the top corner. It was a stunning, audacious finish. The kind of goal that makes people stop what they are doing and stare at a screen.
For Reyna, the moment meant more than just the scoreline. It was a reminder of the talent that has sometimes gone unseen and underused. The stadium responded with the kind of roar that only comes when emotion and beauty collide.
The final score: United States 4, Paraguay 1. A record-equalling and record-setting evening for the USMNT, which had never scored more than three goals in a single World Cup match before Friday night.
"It's a dream, it's a dreamy night," Balogun said, summing it all up in six words.
What This Means Going Forward
Three points and a four-goal performance in the opening game of a home World Cup — there is almost nothing better Pochettino could have asked for. The United States now sit top of Group D with maximum points, ahead of upcoming matches against Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkey back at SoFi Stadium on June 25.
Winning the group would likely set up a more favourable knockout path. Goal differential matters too, and a margin like Friday's will count if the group stage tightens up.
There are still questions. Pulisic's calf injury needs monitoring. The second half showed that without their main man, the Americans can lose their attacking rhythm. And the games ahead — Australia and Turkey are no pushovers — will demand more consistency across 90 minutes.
But for now, on a warm Friday night in Los Angeles, none of that mattered. Football had come home to America, and America had welcomed it with four goals, a packed house, and a performance that will set expectations for everything that follows.
The tournament has only just begun. The United States look ready for it.
