United States came flying out of the blocks at their home World Cup, putting a shell-shocked Paraguay to the sword 4-1 in Los Angeles.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side produced an inspired display in their Group D opener, while creating history along the way.
An early Damian Bobadilla own-goal got the party started and settled any nerves, while Folarin Balogun’s brace put the co-hosts firmly in control at half-time.
Mauricio gave Paraguay hope with a quarter of an hour remaining, but Giovanni Reyna’s delicate finish in stoppage time put the icing on the cake for the Stars and Stripes.
In this article, we’ll cover:
A Hollywood script in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a place you typically associate with stardom. There were many watching in the stadium, including Tom Cruise and David Beckham, who was fresh from the unveiling of his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
And there were many star performers in Pochettino’s side, who looked composed and ready to rise to the occasion. If there were any host-nation nerves, they certainly didn’t show them.
United States scored four goals in a World Cup match for the first time, as they equalled their biggest win at the finals – and they have already surpassed their goal tally from Qatar four years ago.
It was very much one-way traffic from the moment Bobadilla put through his own net. Balogun took centre stage later in the half with a pair of lovely finishes, as he became the only the second American to score multiple goals in a single World Cup game.
Christian Pulisic also impressed during the first half, setting up Balogun’s first goal and carrying a constant threat with his bursts down the left flank, before he was rested at half-time.
The Stars and Stripes struggled to build on their first-half momentum after the break and, after a couple of scares, they did concede through Mauricio. However, the co-hosts didn’t look like relinquishing their lead, and had the final word through Reyna.
A baptism of fire for poor Paraguay
After a 16-year absence, Paraguay were back at the World Cup finals for the first time since reaching the last eight in 2010. Four of their five previous appearances have yielded ventures to the knockout stages, but they face an uphill battle to secure another one this year.
The unknown proved a little too daunting for their players, who looked anxious from the start and were unable to lay a glove on their opponents, whose starting XI featured a player from each of the top five European leagues.
Pulisic and Sergino Dest enjoyed so many opportunities to express themselves down the wings, and frequently got in behind the helpless defence. On another day, Paraguay could well have been heading into half-time with a greater deficit.
To their credit, Gustavo Alfaro’s side looked better after the break, but just one shot on target and nine touches in the opposing box highlighted their general lacking of a cutting edge. They do boast attacking quality, demonstrated in the way Miguel Almiron and Julio Enciso combined to set up Mauricio for the goal.
However, that is now just one win from nine World Cup openers for the White and Red, whose goal difference has already taken a battering. They cannot really afford any further slip-ups if they are to stand any chance of progressing from Group D.
World Cup redemption for Reyna
The 2022 World Cup was expected to provide a platform for then 20-year-old Giovanni Reyna to shine on the big stage. Instead, the winger was restricted to just 52 minutes of action across the Stars and Stripes’ four matches.
Then United States coach Gregg Berhalter criticised Reyna’s lack of commitment and poor attitude, and there was even the possibility he would leave the camp during the tournament.
Reyna would apologise for his behaviour, but fast forward four years, and he has let his football do the talking in sublime fashion. Introduced as a substitute in the final 10 minutes, the Borussia Monchengladbach winger rounded off a 26-pass move by beating Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill with the outside of his boot to complete a memorable day for the tournament co-hosts.
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