USA beat Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles as every of the three World Cup cohosts have now staged a recreation within the 2026 version.
Printed On 13 Jun 2026
The USA may scarcely have scripted a greater begin to their World Cup as a Folarin Balogun brace and a Gio Reyna roller fired the cohosts to a 4-1 drubbing of Paraguay in entrance of Hollywood royalty in Los Angeles.
The hosts took the lead within the event’s first recreation on US soil inside seven minutes because of an personal objective, and by the top of an totally dominant half, the house followers had been in dreamland, their facet up by three.
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Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton had been amongst a sold-out 70,492 crowd because the US – cohosting the event with Mexico and Canada – piled wave after wave of assaults on the South Individuals, with Reyna sharpening off the win late in stoppage time after Mauricio had pulled one again.
The win and emphatic scoreline put the US in a beneficial place already to progress from Group D, which additionally accommodates Australia and Turkiye.
The night time’s solely potential bitter be aware was the half-time withdrawal of Christian Pulisic, the US attacking talisman who’s carrying the hopes of the nation as they try a deep run into the World Cup knockouts for the primary time since their quarterfinal look in 2002.
Paraguay couldn’t have been extra obliging visitors from kickoff. Within the seventh minute, Weston McKennie picked up the ball within the centre circle and drove upfield, discovering Pulisic.
Pulisic darted between two defenders and returned the ball to McKennie, whose move to striker Balogun was bundled into his personal internet by a hapless Damian Bobadilla.
The stadium erupted, and a US onslaught started.
The hosts oozed confidence. Each McKennie and Tillman performed backheel by balls into the realm, whereas captain Tim Ream sprayed out passes from the center of defence.
Balogun had a objective dominated out within the twenty eighth minute. He had strayed offside, as had Pulisic within the buildup.
However the Monaco striker had the ball within the internet once more three minutes later, because of an excellent ball down the left flank by Antonee Robinson to Pulisic, whose cross to Balogun took a slight fortuitous deflection.
The US added a 3rd on the cusp of half-time. Tillman discovered Balogun down the fitting, who evaded Omar Alderete’s problem, skipped inside Gustavo Gomez and curled his shot completely into the highest left nook.
It may have been 4 or 5, with Chris Richards – coming back from damage – flashing a header barely an inch broad. The US had 75 p.c possession within the first half.
Now, with out the damaging Pulisic, the hosts sat again barely within the second half.
Paraguay lastly provided a menace. Their harmful ahead Julio Enciso, who began regardless of a hamstring damage, picked up the ball on the sting of the realm and fed in Brazil-born substitute Mauricio, who pulled one again.
Reyna scored an excellent fourth with the surface of his proper foot that curled simply contained in the far put up.
The sport had been preceded by a Tinseltown-style opening ceremony. Katy Perry delivered the headline efficiency, accompanied by singers Future, Tyla, Anitta and Okay-pop singer Lisa.
Performers danced round a large World Cup trophy beneath monumental “FIFA” letters within the gold favoured by US President Donald Trump – who didn’t attend, as an alternative wishing the workforce luck by way of telephone earlier than kickoff.
