USMNT routs Paraguay 4-1 in home World Cup opener

Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie gave the United States the fast start it needed, Folarin Balogun added a first World Cup goal, and Paraguay spent long stretches chasing the game as the USMNT rolled to a 4-1 win at SoFi Stadium. The opener, played in Los Angeles with kickoff set for 9 p.m. ET and shown on FOX and Telemundo, was the Americans’ first FIFA World Cup match on home soil in more than 30 years.

The scoreline said comfort, but the deeper test was whether the performance reflected real tournament readiness. Mauricio Pochettino had only just finalized his 26-player roster on May 26, and the team’s last tune-ups, against Senegal in Charlotte on May 31 and Germany in Chicago on June 6, were designed to harden a group entering Group D with Australia and Türkiye still ahead. Against Paraguay, the United States controlled about 75% possession during one stretch of the first half, a sign that the structure and tempo were in place from the opening whistle.

Pulisic created the opening goal in the seventh minute, with McKennie credited with the finish after the ball deflected off a Paraguay defender, and Balogun made it 2-0 in the 31st minute for his first World Cup goal. Those moments underscored the U.S. attack’s most encouraging trait: when it moved the ball quickly, Paraguay could not stay organized. The Americans also benefited from an own goal, their fourth in World Cup history, a reminder that some of the margin came from pressure rather than pure finishing.

The defensive questions were harder to ignore even in victory. Tim Ream became the oldest U.S. player to appear in a World Cup, a milestone that reflected experience but also the need for the back line to manage transitions against more dangerous opposition. Paraguay never fully settled, and that made it difficult to measure how the U.S. would cope when forced to defend for longer stretches. What this opener proved is that Pochettino’s team can dominate a match when the opponent folds early; what it did not prove is whether that control will survive against Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Türkiye back in Los Angeles on June 25.