Jun 13, 2026 - Sports

U.S. routs Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener

Bob Gee

U.S. team players Christ Richards and Folarin Balogun celebrated in the U.S. team's 4-1 win over Paraguay. — Folarin Balogun and Chris Richards celebrate after Balogun scored the U.S.'s third goal against Paraguay in the World Cup Friday night. Photo: John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images

The U.S. dominated Paraguay 4-1 Friday night in the World Cup debut for the co-hosts.

It was a better performance than U.S. fans could have hoped for.

State of play: The U.S. men's national team, playing in front of a loud, pro-U.S crowd in Los Angeles, were aggressive from start to finish.

The four goals — two from striker Folarin Balogun, one from midfielder Gio Reyna, and an own goal by Paraguayan defender Damian Bobadilla — were the most tallied by a U.S. men's team in a World Cup.

The intrigue: American players showed the creativity, crisp passing and kind of nifty one-on-one moves that U.S. fans have been accustomed to seeing from traditional soccer powerhouses in Europe and South America.

Threat level: Paraguay resorted to rough play at times, racking up five yellow cards.

Star U.S. forward Christian Pulisic was subbed out at halftime as a precaution after getting kicked in the left calf.

Stunning stat: U.S. center-back Chris Richards completed all 83 of his passes, the most passes with 100% accuracy by any player in a World Cup game since 1966, per the sports analytics company Opta.

What's next: The U.S. plays Australia next Friday in Seattle.

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U.S. routs Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener

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