WOW! What a Great Start at Home for the USA

Photo provided by Houston Dynamo FC

The United States opened its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium this past Friday, delivering a memorable performance in front of a passionate home crowd. It was the nation’s first Men's World Cup match as a host since 1994, and the Americans rose to the occasion.

The breakthrough came early when Paraguay defender Damián Bobadilla accidentally turned the ball into his own net in the 7th minute, giving the United States a 1-0 lead. The Americans continued to press forward and were rewarded in the 31st minute when Folarin Balogun finished a well-worked attack to make it 2-0.

Just before halftime, Balogun struck again. The striker found the back of the net in first-half stoppage time (45+5’), sending the United States into the break with a comfortable 3-0 advantage.

Paraguay showed some fight in the second half and pulled one back through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but any hopes of a comeback were crushed in dramatic fashion deep into stoppage time.

In the 90+7th minute, Gio Reyna produced a moment of magic, curling a stunning "trivela" strike past the goalkeeper. The outside-of-the-foot finish left fans in awe and capped off a spectacular night for the Americans.

The final whistle confirmed a dominant 4-1 victory for the United States, who moved to the top of Group D and recorded the largest goal margin in USMNT World Cup history since 1930. With the home crowd celebrating and confidence growing, the Americans could not have asked for a better start to their World Cup campaign.

Thirty-two years after hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the United States once again welcomed the world—and delivered a performance worthy of the occasion. They are now set up to face Australia this Friday, June 19 at 2:00 PM CT in a matchup that guarantees fireworks as both teams aim for the top spot of the group.

Below is our coverage of the game from the Dynamo Soccer Celebration Watch Party as part of our latest episode of the Foxtrot World Cup Show!

https://youtu.be/llEbteRZ67o