The night the United States announced itself
For decades, American soccer fans have dreamed of seeing the U.S. Men’s National Team not merely survive at a World Cup, but impose itself. Show off. Dominate. On June 12th, in a packed SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, that dream became reality.
The United States opened its home World Cup with a stunning 4-1 victory over Paraguay, producing arguably the most complete World Cup performance in modern USMNT history. The scoreline was impressive enough. The manner in which it was achieved was even more significant. The Americans controlled possession, dictated tempo, created chance after chance, and overwhelmed a traditionally difficult South American opponent from the opening whistle.
The Yanks scored four goals against a Paraguay team that allowed just 10 goals total over 18 (!!) games in South American qualifying, beating traditional football giants like Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia in the process.
And it may prove to be the moment when the rest of the world began taking Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side seriously.
Historic milestones
The significance of the result extends far beyond three points.
The victory marked the first time the United States has ever scored four goals in a World Cup match. It also represented the nation’s largest World Cup win since the legendary 1930 semifinal run and tied the biggest margin of victory in modern U.S. World Cup history.
Several individual milestones were equally noteworthy.
Folarin Balogun enters USMNT history
Balogun scored twice (and had a third called off for a marginal offside), becoming the first American player to record a World Cup brace in 86 years, since the 1930 tournament. For a nation that has often struggled to produce elite center forwards, the performance was a powerful statement.
The Arsenal academy product looked every bit the world-class striker U.S. Soccer hoped he would become when he committed to the USMNT.
His movement was sharp. His combination play with Christian Pulisic was natural, almost intuitive. His finishing was clinical. His growing confidence was unmistakable.
More importantly, he demonstrated that the U.S. finally possesses a striker capable of punishing opponents at the highest level. Fans paying close attention were already familiar with what Balogun could do with French Ligue 1 side Monaco, having displayed this type of finish and athletics against European giants Paris St. Germain. He’s also done it repeatedly for the USMNT over the last 3+ years. But doing so at the World Cup, on the biggest stage, is another thing entirely.
Christian Pulisic sets another benchmark
Although he did not score, Pulisic was arguably the game’s most influential player during the first half.
His dazzling run, splitting two pairs of defenders twice, created the opening goal, and his assist on Balogun’s first strike further cemented his status as the talisman of today’s American soccer. The assist further moved him into sole possession of a U.S. World Cup assist record.
Pulisic repeatedly terrorized Paraguay’s defenders, drawing multiple markers and creating space for teammates. Paraguay simply had no answer for him.
Gio Reyna’s reminder
Late in stoppage time, Gio Reyna added the exclamation point with a spectacular and daring ‘trivela’ curling finish.
The goal not only completed the scoring but served as a reminder of the immense talent still available to Pochettino. When healthy and in-form, Reyna remains one of the most gifted attacking players for the United States. Reyna had come on just minutes earlier, and to have the audacity and confidence to try to execute a shot like that speaks to the growing confidence to this US side.
Pochettino’s message: It’s about the collective
Following the match, Mauricio Pochettino was careful not to allow excitement to become complacency.
Rather than focus on individual stars, he repeatedly emphasized the collective effort behind the victory. When asked about Pulisic’s impact, Pochettino chose to praise, by name, nearly the entire starting 11. “Of course he was amazing. He was amazing, of course. Balo (Folarin Balogun) was amazing, of course. Tim Ream was amazing, of course. Chris Richards was amazing, yes. Weston McKennie was amazing. Amazing. Malik Tillman was amazing, yes. Tyler Adams, amazing. Antonee Robinson, amazing. Alex Freeman, amazing. Sergiño Dest, amazing.”
“It was the collective approach,” Pochettino said after the game in the post-match press conference. He praised the team’s unity and the energy generated by the home crowd while reminding everyone that the tournament has only just begun. “The team was amazing.”
Pochettino’s comments reflect a recurring theme throughout his tenure.
This is no longer a team dependent on one or two players.
It is becoming a system.
And systems tend to survive adversity better than stars alone.
He also highlighted the importance of the fans, the 12th man in many home matches, and something traditionally absent in USMNT home games. “The fans. Amazing. The whole team, a massive thank you to the fans.” He had a call to arms to the fans to continue their support the rest of the tournament. “We can do amazing things if fans are this way.”
Pulisic injury scare
At the same time, not everything was perfect. Perhaps no storyline generated more concern than Pulisic’s halftime departure. After dominating the first half, the unofficial “Captain America” did not return for the second period, immediately raising fears of a significant injury.
Fortunately, the news appears encouraging.
Pulisic explained after the match that he suffered a kick to the calf during the first half and that the substitution was precautionary. He expressed optimism that the injury was not serious and suggested he expected to recover over the next few days. With the group stage in this expanded format now a week apart (as opposed to 3-4 days as in previous competitions), it’s likely that Pulisic will have the needed time to heal.
Pochettino provided additional context.
According to the manager, Pulisic was hurt in training a few days earlier, and his calf tightened as his body cooled during halftime, making it difficult for him to walk comfortably. The coaching staff ultimately decided not to take unnecessary risks with the team’s most important attacking player.
As of now, the outlook appears positive for Pulisic’s status for Australia.
With nearly a week between matches, there is considerable optimism that Pulisic will be available. While the medical staff will undoubtedly monitor him carefully, there has been no indication that the injury is expected to threaten his participation in the remainder of the tournament.
That is excellent news for a team whose attack clearly reaches another level when Pulisic is on the field.
Can this team make a deep run?
This is the question everyone is asking. The answer is increasingly becoming: why not?
The ingredients are certainly there: Pulisic, Balogun, McKennie, Tillman, Reyna, and others give the U.S. perhaps its most dangerous attacking group ever assembled.
Pochettino’s system is becoming more clear. The movement is coordinated. The pressing and counter-press is almost relentless. The players understand their roles.
And let’s not forget home-field advantage. The raucous atmosphere in Los Angeles demonstrated how powerful home support can be. More than 70,000 fans created an environment unlike anything most American players have experienced in previous US matches.
Perhaps most importantly, this team now appears to believe it belongs. For decades, American teams often entered World Cups hoping to compete.
This team appears determined to go far, perhaps farther than most of us can dare to say out loud.
