United States Impresses, Canada Makes World Cup History on Day Two

The second day of the World Cup brought the opening matches for the tournament’s other two host nations, Canada and the United States, after Mexico played on the previous day. Canada did not win, but earned its first-ever World Cup point with a 1-1 draw against Bosnia in Toronto. The United States then delivered a dominant performance, especially in the first half, and beat Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles in front of a star-filled crowd.

In the U.S. match, Mauricio Pochettino’s team looked sharp from the start and effectively settled the game before halftime. Christian Pulisic created the opener in the 7th minute, sending in a cross that led to Damian Bobadija scoring into his own net. Pulisic also assisted the second goal for Folarin Balogun in the 31st minute, and Balogun added a second for himself five minutes into first-half stoppage time. Paraguay reduced the deficit through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but substitute Giovanni Reyna sealed the win with a fine stoppage-time goal.

About 70,000 spectators attended the match in Los Angeles, including Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Katy Perry, who performed before kickoff, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The article says the result was a statement of intent from a U.S. team with high expectations at its home World Cup, and that Pulisic was the main engine of the victory.

Canada’s match was more frustrating despite the historic point. Jesse Marsch’s side pressured Bosnia throughout and was the better team, but Bosnia led when Jubo Lukić headed in from a corner in the 21st minute. Canada kept pushing with strong home support in Toronto, and finally equalized in the 78th minute through Kyle Larin, a Southampton teammate of Daniel Peretz, to preserve the draw. Canadian media were disappointed that the hosts did not win despite their superiority.

The Toronto crowd was also drawn to actor Ryan Reynolds, who received heavy attention from cameras and fans. Reynolds, who owns Wrexham in England’s second division, repeatedly posed for selfies. The article also notes that Pulisic was the night’s standout player, and that the U.S. could challenge its World Cup scoring record of five goals in a single tournament, set in 2002 after its four-goal opening display.