The United men’s soccer team got off to a flying start and rode that momentum to a 4-1 win over Paraguay in their first match of FIFA World Cup Group stage play in Los Angeles. It was a heady affair from the get-go, as both teams sought to set the tone early and often. Paraguay threw the first and came close to scoring in the first 76 seconds of the game. USA goalkeeper Matt Freese made the early save, and his side countered with a punch of their own. Neither attempt troubled either keeper, and the game continued with both sides looking to counter.
US FORCES A CRITICAL TURNOVER
The U.S.’s relentless pace paid dividends in the 10th minute. Weston McKennie’s pass to the left flank found a sprinting Christian Pulisic, who split two defenders with a nifty cut inside and an attempt to give the ball back to McKennie. The pass was intercepted by midfielder Damián Bobadilla, who booted the ball into the net, scoring an own goal and giving the team a 1-0 lead. Down early, Paraguay tried to slow the high-flying Americans with more physicality. The plan was a failure, as the U.S. remained resolute and determined to double its lead. In the interim, Paraguay was piling up the yellow cards, receiving two in three minutes after the goal.
DOUBLE LEAD OWNED
It looked as if the homeside had doubled their lead in the 28th minute when McKennie’s slide rule pass found Balogun, who rifled the ball into the back of the Paraguay goal. The offside flag was raised, and the goal was disallowed. The determination and unwavering belief of the U.S. paid off just two minutes later when Pulisic continued his Houdini act with the ball. While he did not split defenders, his pass inside the box found Balogun, who finished with aplomb for the 2-0 lead. The lead expanded to three-nil in first-half stoppage time on Balogun’s brace. After receiving a pass from defender Malik Tilman, Balogun played through a slide tackle by Paraguay defender Omar Alderette, cut inside, tapped the ball onto his left foot, and blasted it into the left corner.
PARAGUAY GETS ONE BACK
Pochettino made one halftime substitution that raised some eyebrows. Sebastian Berhalter subbed in for Pulisic, who had been the heartbeat of the U.S. attack in the first half. Paraguay came flying out of the gates to start the second half, and the visitors had the U.S. backpaddling and nearly scored minutes into the first half. The Paraguayans narrowed the lead to 3-1 in the 73rd minute. When halftime substitute Maurico streaked down the left flank, collected Juli Enciso’s pass, and blasted the ball past a helpless Freese.
FINISHING STRONG.
The goal invigorated the U.S. players as they went hunting for another. After several near chances, Gino Reyna’s wonder goal in the 8th minute of stoppage time put an exclamation mark on the domination win by the USMNT.
QUICK TAKEAWAYS
The United States showed their speed, determination, and creativity, and give credit to Pochettino because he had been working on this with the team. And so he really brought out the best in this team. I thought the back line, except for, you know, the one transgression, was solid, and Chris Richard does make a difference. Alex Freeman also looked fit and comfortable, along with captain Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson. Can the United States keep its momentum? They will now head to Emerald City, where they will take on Australia on June 19th.
PULISIC UPDATE
The lone blemish on the game for the US team was the knock Pulisic took to the back of his left leg in the first half.
“I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic said. “Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days. Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I’ve had similar things before and I’m staying positive. I don’t think it’s anything at all.”
GAME NOTES
Goal Scoring Rundown:
USA – OWN GOAL (DAMIÁN BOBADILLA) 7th minute:
In a transition attack, Alex Freeman led Weston McKennie with a beautiful pass into space up the middle of the pitch. McKennie played the ball to Pulisic on the left, and the forward dynamically split two Paraguay defenders with the fantastic dribble at speed. Pulisic returned a pass to McKennie inside the box. McKennie attempted to play another pass into the middle of the box and retreating Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla ran through the ball to knock it into his own net. USA 1, PAR 0
USA – FOLARIN BALOGUN (CHRISTIAN PULISIC), 31st minute:
Antonee Robinson started the play with a tidy vertical pass to Pulisic down the left side of the pitch. Pulisic took one long dribble to advance the ball into the 18-yard box then made a precise cross to Balogun, who smartly timed his run. Balogun lined up a low, left-footed shot from 10 yards out and placed it beautifully into the lower right corner past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill. USA 2, PAR 0
USA – FOLARIN BALOGUN (MALIK TILLMAN), 45th minute:
Again, the U.S. found success with the long ball. Malik Tillman located Balogun with a pass up the pitch from the midline and into the right side of the penalty area. Balogun stayed on his feet despite a sliding tackle from Omar Alderete. He took one dribble centrally to evade another then delivered a confident left-footed strike into the upper left corner from about 10 yards out. USA 3, PAR 0
USA – MAURICIO (JULIO ENCISO), 73rd minute:
Paraguay progressed the ball following a free kick taken in its defensive third. The U.S. was unable to get off a good clearance and Enciso swung a short pass through traffic for Mauricio to run onto. The midfielder slotted a low, left-footed strike into the lower left-hand side of the frame for Paraguay lone goal of the night. USA 3, PAR 1
USA – GIO REYNA (ALEX FREEMAN), 90+8th minute:
The U.S. patiently passed the ball in its attacking third with second-half substitute Tim Weah quarterbacking passes between Ricardo Pepi and Alex Freeman. At the end of the sequence, Freeman fed Gio Reyna with a short pass, and the midfielder made a quick turn toward goal before delivering a curling shot with the outside of his right foot into the left side of the goal from 10 yards out. USA 4, PAR 1
Additional Notes:
- The own goal in the seventh minute was the third fastest USMNT goal at a FIFA World Cup.
- This was the fourth own goal the USA has earned in the FIFA World Cup, tied with Germany and Italy for second most in competition history. France has six. The USA also benefited from own goals in the 1994 World Cup vs. Colombia, 2002 vs. Portugal and in 2006 vs. Italy.
- His goal in the 31st minute marked the first career goal at a FIFA World Cup for Folarin Balogun.
- Christian Pulisic recorded his third World Cup assist on Balogun’s goal. Three World Cup assists is the most all-time among USMNT players in the competition.
- The assist was also the 21st in Pulisic’s career. He sits just one assist behind Cobi Jones for third all-time among USMNT players.
- Balogun’s second goal of the night brought his international total to 11. His brace marked the second multi-goal game for a USMNT player in World Cup play.
- Balogun is the 26th different player to score for the USMNT in the World Cup and only the second to have a multi-goal game in the competition.
- Before this match, the U.S. had scored three goals in a World Cup match once in the modern era, the first being 2002 versus Portugal.
- Malik Tillman recorded his fifth career assist on Balogun’s second goal.
- Balogun’s brace marked only the second multi-goal game for a USMNT player in World Cup play the first being Bert Patenaude’s historic hat trick in 1930 vs. Paraguay
- Balogun becomes the first player to register his first brace for the USMNT in a World Cup match.
- Sebastian Berhalter made his FIFA World Cup debut, entering the match at halftime to replace Pulisic. The Berhalters are the second family to have a father and son represent the USMNT in a World Cup.
- Ricardo Pepi made his FIFA World Cup debut.
- Gio Reyna and Tim Weah entered the match as substitutes, marking their third and fifth World Cup appearances, respectively.
- Reyna scored his first goal in FIFA World Cup competition. It was the midfielder’s10th career international goal for the USA.
- Five starters in this match also played when the USA and Paraguay met previously in the run-up to the tournament on Nov. 15, 2025. Goals on either side of halftime from midfielder Gio Reyna and striker Folarin Balogun led the U.S. to a 2-1 victory at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. Álex Arce, who started tonight on the bench, scored the lone goal for the visitors.
- The USMNT entered this match 2-3-0 all-time vs. South American opposition in the World Cup. That record now stands at an even 3W-3L-0D.
- Today’s match marks the 12th appearance in a FIFA World Cup for the U.S. It’s the second time the U.S. has ever hosted in tournament history.
- Paraguay made its return to the global stage for the first time in 16 years. The team’s best performance came in 2010 when it reached the quarterfinals.
— U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT –
Match: United States Men’s National Team vs. Paraguay
Date: June 12, 2026
Competition: 2026 FIFA World Cup – Group D
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium; Inglewood, Calif.
Attendance: 70,492
Kickoff: 6 p.m. PT
Weather: 70 degrees, cloudy
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | F |
| USA | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| PAR | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| USA – Own Goal (Damián Bobadilla) | 7th minute |
| USA – Folarin Balogun (Christian Pulisic) | 31 |
| USA – Folarin Balogun (Malik Tillman) | 45+5 |
| PAR — Mauricio (Julio Enciso) | 73 |
| USA – Gio Reyna (Alex Freeman) | 90+8′ |
Lineups:
USA: 24-Matt Freese; 16-Alex Freeman, 3-Chris Richards 13-Tim Ream (Capt.), 5-Antonee Robinson; 4-Tyler Adams, 17-Malik Tillman (7-Gio Reyna, 82), 2-Sergiño Dest (21-Tim Weah, 72), 8-Weston McKennie, 10-Christian Pulisic (14-Sebastian Berhalter, 46); 20-Folarin Balogun (9-Ricardo Pepi, 72)
Substitutes not used: 1-Matt Turner, 25-Chris Brady, 6-Auston Trusty, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 12-Miles Robinson, 15-Cristian Roldan, 18-Max Arfsten, 19-Haji Wright, 22-Mark McKenzie, 23-Joe Scally, 26-Alex Zendejas
PAR: 12-Orlando Gill; 4-Juan Caceres (2-Gustavo Velázquez, 79), 15-Gustavo Gómez, 3-Omar Alderete, 6-Junior Alonso; 8-Diego Gómez (17-Alejandro Romero, 80), 14-Andrés Cubas, 16-Damián Bobadilla (11-Mauricio, 46), 10-Miguel Almirón (7-Ramón Sosa, 79), 9-Antonio Sanabria (18-Alex Arce, 62), 19-Julio Enciso\
Substitutes not used:1-Roberto Fernández, 22-Gastón Olveira, 5-Fabián Balbuena, 13-José Canale, 20-Braian Ojeda, 21-Gabriel Ávalos, 23-Matías Galarza, 25-Isidro Pitta, 24-Gustavo Velázquez, 26-Alexandro Maidana,
Head Coach: Gustavo Alfaro
Stats Summary: USA / PAR
Shots: 16 / 9
Shots on Goal: 6 / 1
Saves: 1 / 3
Corner Kicks: 3 / 1
Fouls: 13 / 17
Offsides: 2 / 1
Misconduct Summary
| PAR – Juan Cáceres (Caution) | 10th minute |
| PAR- Miguel Almirón (Caution) | 52 |
| USA- Tyler Adams (Caution) | 59 |
| PAR – Diego Gómez (Caution) | 79 |
| PAR – Álex Arce (Caution) | 88 |
| PAR – Júnior Alonso (Caution) | 90+3 |
Officials:
Referee: Danny Makkelie (NED)
Assistant 1: Hessel Steegstra (NED)
Assistant 2: Jan De Vries (NED)
Fourth Official: Yusuke Araki (JPN)
VAR 1: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (ESP)
VAR 2: Dennis Higler (NED)
VAR 3: Khamis Almarri (QAT)
–www.ussoccer.com–
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