United States rout Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener

After weeks of doubts and uneven results, Mauricio Pochettino’s United States opened their home World Cup with an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday night in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump had told Pochettino a day earlier that his team could go all the way, and the Americans answered with their most convincing performance yet. A crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium watched the hosts start fast and take control from the opening minutes.

The breakthrough came in the seventh minute when Weston McKennie delivered a cross that Paraguayan defender Damian Bobadía turned into his own net. The U.S. kept pressing with quick, attacking soccer, and Christian Pulisic stood out throughout the first half. Florian Balogun then took center stage, doubling the lead in the 31st minute and making it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time with a powerful finish into the top corner.

Paraguay briefly trimmed the deficit in the 73rd minute through Mauricio, but never seriously threatened a comeback. Gio Reyna completed the scoring in the 98th minute with a stylish outside-of-the-boot finish to seal a dominant opening victory for Pochettino’s side.

The win gave the United States its first three points and, at least temporarily, first place in Group D ahead of Australia and Turkey, who had not yet played. Beyond the scoreline, the match sent a clear message that the hosts still have quality, confidence and ambition on home soil.