Christian Pulisic played a pivotal role with an assist during an impressive first-half display, captivating the Southern California crowd with an energetic offense as the team surged to a 3-0 halftime advantage — the biggest in any World Cup match for the US.
Gio Reyna added another goal in stoppage time of the second half, marking the first time the Americans scored four goals in a World Cup contest.
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group D – United States v Paraguay – Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. – June 12, 2026 United States fans celebrate after the match IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio
In stark contrast to their previous World Cup in Qatar, where the US scored a total of three goals over four matches, this time they celebrated a transformation under new coach Mauricio Pochettino’s creative approach, performing before an enthusiastic crowd of 70,492 in Los Angeles.
Maurício found the net for Paraguay in the second half, but La Albirroja had already fallen too far behind early in their first World Cup match in 16 years.
Following an early own goal from Pulisic’s setup, Balogun struck in the 31st minute and then again in first-half injury time.
The striker, born in New York but raised in London, made his World Cup debut with the first multigoal performance by a US player in the tournament since 1930. Choosing to represent the US three years ago rather than pursue a path with the English national team, he has quickly become the caliber of striker historically absent from US rosters.
Pulisic was substituted for Sebastian Berhalter at halftime, but it was unclear if the AC Milan star had sustained an injury. He seemed to indicate to family in the stands that he was fine.
Pulisic orchestrated the first two US goals with skillful runs down the left flank. In the seventh minute, he deftly maneuvered between two defenders and laid it off to Weston McKennie, whose centering touch bounced off Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla’s outstretched foot, igniting a celebration in SoFi Stadium.
The Americans steadily built on their offensive momentum surrounding Pulisic’s plays — and just three minutes after an offside call negated a goal from Balogun, Pulisic drove down the left side again, delivering a deflected pass to Balogun, who dispatched it into the net.
As first-half injury time approached, Malik Tillman sent a precise long pass to Balogun, who created space and unleashed a stunning shot into the far top corner.
Though the team lacked cohesion after Pulisic’s exit in the second half, Reyna capped off the scoring by slipping into the box and deftly flicking in his first World Cup goal—a moment especially meaningful for Reyna, who had limited action in Qatar due to a complicated family issue with former US coach Gregg Berhalter.
A host of American celebrities and cultural figures graced the match 10 miles south of Hollywood, including Tom Cruise, George Lucas, Bill Gates, Halle Berry, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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First Published: Jun 13, 2026 9:42 AM IST
