USMNT vs Paraguay
There was a lot of talk ahead of this one. How will the hosts do? The whole squad delivered and turned the stadium into a full-blown amusement park. Pulisic put Cáceres on skates and took him out rollerblading. McKennie ran riot all over the park. Flo cashed in every chance to win us a prize. Reyna swishing one with ease. If we’re being honest, the whole thing was a blur. But looking at these photos, it’s nice to relive one of the greatest days in USMNT history.
Here’s how it all looked through the lens of Lorena Barros.
For years, the United States has searched for a striker capable of delivering on soccer’s biggest stage. On Friday night in Los Angeles, Folarin Balogun looked every bit like the answer.
The U.S. Men’s National Team opened its 2026 World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay, producing the most convincing performance of the tournament’s opening days and sending a message to the rest of the field that the hosts intend to be more than just participants.
In front of more than 70,000 fans at Los Angeles Stadium — and a crowd packed with celebrities, athletes, and former U.S. stars — Mauricio Pochettino’s side played with an intensity and confidence that Paraguay never managed to match.
The breakthrough arrived after just seven minutes. Christian Pulisic sliced through the Paraguayan defense before combining with Weston McKennie inside the box. As McKennie attempted to square the ball across goal, midfielder Damián Bobadilla inadvertently turned it into his own net, handing the Americans an early lead.
From there, Pochettino’s front line overwhelmed Paraguay with relentless movement, and Balogun repeatedly found dangerous pockets of space. After seeing one goal disallowed for offside, the Monaco striker got his reward in the 31st minute. Pulisic, once again at the heart of the move, burst down the left flank before picking out Balogun near the penalty spot. The finish was clinical, drilled low into the corner for his first World Cup goal.
By halftime, he had a second.
Malik Tillman slipped a perfectly weighted pass into Balogun’s path deep into stoppage time, but the striker still had plenty to do. Holding off a challenge, he danced past another defender, shifted onto his left foot, and curled a superb finish into the top corner. It was the type of individual goal that instantly becomes part of a player’s World Cup story.
The brace was historic. Balogun became the first American to score two goals in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude’s famous hat trick against Paraguay in 1930.
Paraguay briefly threatened a comeback when substitute Mauricio pulled one back in the 73rd minute after capitalizing on a rare defensive lapse. Yet there was little sense of panic from the hosts, who had dominated nearly every phase of the game.
The U.S. outshot Paraguay, controlled possession, and allowed just a single shot on target all evening. Chris Richards returned from injury to anchor a composed back line, while Tillman delivered perhaps his most complete performance in a national team shirt.
Then came the exclamation point.
Deep into stoppage time, Giovanni Reyna collected a pass from Alex Freeman, turned sharply, and produced a stunning outside-of-the-foot finish that curled into the far corner. It was a moment of pure quality and a fitting finale to an electric night.
For all the attention surrounding Pulisic, Reyna, and the next generation of American talent, the headline belonged to Balogun. The U.S. has long searched for a dependable No. 9 capable of changing games at the highest level.
On opening night of a home World Cup, he delivered exactly that.
The challenge now shifts to Australia in Seattle. But after a performance this dominant, the United States leaves Los Angeles sitting atop Group D and looking every bit like a team capable of making a deep run on home soil.
