LOS ANGELES – World, meet Flo Balogun. Flo, announce yourself to the world. On Friday night at Los Angeles Stadium, the United States Men’s National Team kicked off the 2026 World Cup on home soil against Paraguay. A Folarin Balogun brace and great team performance had the USMNT soaring to open the tournament.
The lineups were a pleasant surprise for both sides, maybe cancelling each other out. Chris Richards was in fact healthy enough to start at center back in a back three alongside captain Tim Ream. The rest of the lineup wrote itself. Despite a lengthy injury scare in a warmup friendly, Julio Enciso started up top for Paraguay.
The U.S. went on to play their best half under Mauricio Pochettino by far. After taking a few minuets to settle down, things clicked. The pressing gave Paraguay no time or space with the ball. When passing was direct, they found space and exploited it. On another day, they’re up 5-0 at halftime.
Seven minutes in, Weston McKennie made a great run from midfield. He combined with Christian Pulisic to eventually play the ball off Damián Bobadilla for an own goal. It was shades of 1994 Colombia at the Rose Bowl.
“They dominated in certain elements. (Bobadilla) was fit. It was hard for the midfield. Our coverages would arrive after their passes. They were floating with intermediate positions behind the wingers. This is a team (the U.S.) that is complex. Once we would have the ball, we would have quick pressure from the U.S.” Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro said through a translator.
The Americans tried to break the game open. Balogun had a goal called off for Pulisic being offside in the buildup. Richards hit the post on a header. They deservedly took a two goal lead in the 31st.
Antonee Robinson threaded a pass into space for Pulisic to run on to. Pulisic squared it to Balogun in space for a calm finish to the bottom corner.
In first half stoppage time, Balogun got a brace to make it 3-0. Malik Tillman played him in on goal. Balogun shook off a defender, took a touch around another, and shot to the top left corner, on a rope.
La Albirroja raised their level in the second half, but the defense was up to the task. Sebastian Berhalter replaced Pulisic at halftime. They limited open looks and cleared their lines, no nonsense.
Until they didn’t. In the 73rd, goalkeeper Orlando Gill took a long free kick. It led to a bouncing 50/50 ball. Enciso tapped it to a late running Mauricio who burred it.
The hosts to be fair created more chances in the final 17 minutes. In the final minute of stoppage time, Gio Reyna got the ball with time and space and went for an audacious tivela to score his first World Cup goal. The match ended 4-1.
This was a great performance and opening result. Just the one yellow card to Tyler Adams is good for availability. The Pulisic halftime sub was precautionary, Pochettino said on the broadcast postgame.
“My calf area. But I’ve had similar things before, and yeah, I’m staying positive,” Pulisic said in mixed zone.
“I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing. I’m taking a little bit of precautions today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine in the next few days.”
“It’s only one game. It’s only three points. We need to keep improving,” Pochettino said postgame.
Key Takeaways:
Every key player for the team that needed to play well did. Pulisic with an assist and he led the link up play. Balogun with a brace and two great finishes. Richards didn’t look like he was playing hurt. McKennie and Adams bossed the midfield. Ream was not a defensive liability. And Reyna scoring gave vindication to his inclusion.
Other than Pulisic’s calf concern and Adams getting a yellow card, all of this bodes well for the rest of the tournament. A win against Australia, and they can likely don’t need either of those players for 90 minutes against Türkiye. This makes it so much easier for Poch to manage the group stage.
As great as the performance was, this match was about the result. They got a win, played well, made the opponent look unrecognizable. Three points and a +3 goal difference puts them in comfortable position to get out of the group. Job done.
The USMNT have the weekend off before resuming training Monday June 14. They head to Seattle for a Juneteenth match against Australia for their second game of Group D.
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Spencer Baldwin 