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INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- After years of buildup, the 2026 World Cup has arrived. On Friday night, American soccer might just have, too.
Such was the level of dominance from the U.S. Men's National Team, a group that entered this tournament fighting battles on multiple fronts. For years, they've wanted to change the perspective of American soccer, both at home and abroad. No matter where you tuned in from to watch this World Cup opener against Paraguay, you saw something you've never quite seen before: a USMNT group ready and able to capture this moment.
In the end, the USMNT's World Cup opener ended 4-1. In truth, it was something more than that. For diehard fans, this was the culmination of a decade-long journey for a golden generation. For newcomers, this was the type of performance that wins hearts and minds, which is the opportunity this team has this summer.
This game was defined by opportunities, and there were plenty for the U.S. as they ran circles around a helpless Paraguay team. It started early, too, with a seventh-minute own-goal opener that saw Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie combine to give the USMNT that perfect start.
It only got better from there. Confidence snowballed, and Paraguay could do little to stop it. They were exposed by Pulisic and Balogun on the USMNT's second, a setup from the former to the latter for a first-time finish in the 31st minute. Then, in first-half stoppage time, Balogun did it again to make it a brace, darting onto a Malik Tillman pass before dancing by two defenders and firing into the top corner. A perfect night wasn't totally perfect, of course, as the U.S. did concede an inexcusable goal to Mauricio via some 73rd-minute route-one nonsense. There was still time, though, for Gio Reyna to rebalance the vibes with a fourth goal with the last kick of the game. The four-goal performance marked the most goals scored by the USMNT in a single World Cup match, breaking a record that had stood since 1930, when the Americans beat both Belgium and Paraguay 3-0.
They were the types of moments that ignite a World Cup. They're also the types of moments that ignite a team and a country, too. The relationship between the team and country changed dramatically across 90 minutes of near-perfect soccer, and at some point, these 90 minutes may just be looked at as the moment that started it all for a team that seems more ready than ever for that kind of challenge.
