Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Group D – United States v Paraguay – Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. – June 12, 2026 Folarin Balogun of the U.S. celebrates scoring their third goal with teammates REUTERS/Matthew Childs TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The United States men’s national team (USMNT) was in dire need of a center forward of Folarin Balogun’s quality. Born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents, he grew up in England and could have played for any three of those nations, considering the quality he has shown with the French Ligue 1 side Monaco.
So securing the 24-year-old’s services was a significant coup on the international soccer stage of the US, and he has certainly come as advertised.
Balogun recorded a first-half brace in the Americans’ World Cup opener on home soil on Friday night in Los Angeles — a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay that was dotted with history for US soccer.
He became the first American to score multiple goals in a single World Cup game since Bert Patenaude recorded a hat trick for the Stars & Stripes on July 17, 1930, in a 3-0 win against Paraguay. While this was the first time the US men had scored four goals in a World Cup game, it was the first time they had achieved a three-goal margin of victory since that same game 96 years ago.
The pressure that comes with playing as a host country at a World Cup was relieved almost immediately when the US jumped out in front in the seventh minute, thanks to a Damian Bobadilla own goal.
Star forward Christian Pulisic cut between two Paraguayan defenders into the box and laid it off for Weston McKennie. His cross was guided into the net by the outstretched foot of the South American defender.
Pulisic was in on the USMNT’s second in the 31st minute when his low cross found an open Balogun in the center of the box. With his first touch, Balogun opened his right foot and guided it into the right post.
In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, he got his second. After receiving a perfect through-ball in the right of the box, he shrugged off one Paraguayan defender and cut onto his left foot to fool another before curling a pinpoint attempt into the upper-left-hand corner of the goal to practically put things to bed at the break.
While Mauricio pulled one back for th Paraguay in the 73rd minute, the Americans did well to shepherd their opposition to the finish, before ending things with one more dazzling moment. Substitute Gio Reyna sent a curling shot with the outside of his right foot into the back of the net in the eighth minute of second-half stoppage time — a historic goal for the program.
Mauricio Pochettino could have drawn up a much better start for his squad, which establishes three points and a strong plus-three goal differential going into the second match of Group D action, which comes against Australia on June 19.
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