Balogun powers United States past Paraguay in World Cup opener

Folarin Balogun gave the United States the kind of start that now looks like a tactic, not an accident. His two goals helped Mauricio Pochettino’s side beat Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and the Americans were already 3-0 ahead by halftime.

The performance carried historic weight. Balogun scored his first goals in a World Cup for the United States and became the first U.S. player to score twice in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude in 1930. The 4-1 margin was the largest victory in U.S. World Cup history, and the five-goal total was the most the program has produced in a single match at the tournament. A crowd of 70,492 watched, the seventh-largest audience for a U.S. World Cup game and the biggest since 1994.

The United States had already beaten Paraguay 2-1 in Chester, Pennsylvania, in November 2025, but this meeting underscored how much more aggressive Pochettino’s side has become from the opening whistle. FIFA’s historical record notes that the only previous World Cup meeting between the nations came in Uruguay in 1930, when Patenaude completed the first hat trick in tournament history in a 3-0 American defeat. Ninety-six years later, Balogun matched the old standard of American finishing and helped set a new one for scoring output.

That same early urgency was on display against Australia in Seattle, where Balogun’s run down the left and his pass forced Cameron Burgess into an own goal in the 11th minute. The United States went on to win 2-0, a result that made it one of the first teams to secure a place in the knockout stage. For opponents, the message is clear: giving this U.S. side room in the opening minutes can be costly.

The next test comes against Türkiye on June 25, 2026, in Los Angeles, with first place in Group D still in play. If the Americans keep turning fast starts into control of matches, Balogun’s influence may define not just this group, but the way the rest of the tournament prepares for them.