The U.S. men’s national team demolished Paraguay 4-1 to begin their 2026 FIFA World Cup—the first time ever the USMNT scored four goals in a World Cup game—and it could’ve (should’ve?) been more.
Coming into the game, most had no qualms with the lineup. Maurico Pochettino looked to get the same dynamism out of Sergiño Dest and Alex Freeman that we saw against Uruguay last winter on the right. Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic are always going to be in the spotlight on the other side, as are Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams in midfield.
Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves discussed the stakes on commentary during the Canada game, you can’t lose the opening game of the tournament. You put yourself in too big of a hole, especially with Türkiye around the corner for the USMNT. Would they fold under the pressure, or rise to the occasion?
The latter. Definitely the latter. In fact, they delivered the best half of soccer under Pochettino by every metric.
The USMNT played with intent, looking to take the game to Paraguay. Pulisic was at the forefront early looking confident on the ball. His action in the seventh minute led to the opening goal as Damián Bobadilla inadvertently tucked the ball in behind for an own goal. Then, he assisted Folarin Balogun for the second. Balogun went on to score a third in stoppage time to put the game out of sight.
The goals were one thing, but the overall performance in the first 45 was spotless. We’ve seen this team under Pochettino and other coaches look devoid of ideas at times, incapable of breaking down defenses. At SoFi Stadium, they understood the tactical system, how to exploit Paraguay and control the game in all three phases.
Not to mention, Paraguay didn’t have a sniff in the first 45. They had just two touches in the USMNT box mustering 28% possession. Malik Tillman in particular was brilliant at dictating the tempo as were the wingbacks Robinson and Dest.
The second half wasn’t as pretty. Actions in the final third broke down often, chances were wasted and the defending on Paraguay’s goal was sloppy at best. But, the game ended with fireworks as Gio Reyna scored with the outside of his boot from outside the box.
The USMNT still dominated possession (65%) and kept Paraguay to just one shot on target in the full 90. Clean up the mistakes made on Mauricio’s goal and they could very well top the group. At minimum, their chances of qualifying for the knockout stage rose significantly with the win.
“I boldly predicted that they would get to the quarterfinals. If they take care of business, I think they can put themselves on a certain path to get there. At their best, I think this team is very good. They create a ton of chances. Can they take those chances? They’ve also kept three clean sheets in 20 games. They have to get that mentality back. Quarterfinals would be amazing,” Tim Howard told SB Nation before the game.
Well, Tim, they are certainly on that path now. Australia up next.
