Balogun double steers United States to convincing 4-1 victory over Paraguay
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California: Folarin Balogun’s two first-half goals helped the United States begin their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Group D at SoFi Stadium on Saturday.
The co-hosts, playing a World Cup match at home for the first time since 1994, set the tone early when Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla turned a Weston McKennie pass into his own net in the seventh minute. That early strike allowed the US to dominate possession and probe the South American defence for openings, with Christian Pulisic prominent in several threatening moves.
Balogun thought he had a second before the half-hour mark but was flagged offside. He made no mistake in the 31st minute when Pulisic threaded a pass through the defence and Balogun finished calmly to make it 2-0. The striker then produced the highlight of the half in stoppage time, cutting inside after a Malik Tillman pass and curling a superb shot into the top corner to send the hosts into the break 3-0 up.
Mauricio Pochettino replaced Pulisic at halftime as he managed his squad’s workload. Paraguay began the second half with greater intent and reduced the deficit in the 74th minute after Julio Enciso reacted to a loose ball and set up Mauricio, who slotted a low finish past goalkeeper Matt Freese.
Any momentum for a comeback was short-lived. Substitute Ricardo Pepi came close to restoring the three-goal cushion but was denied by Paraguay keeper Orlando Gil, and Gio Reyna sealed the win deep into stoppage time with an eye-catching outside-of-the-boot finish on a swift counterattack, making it 4-1.
The victory temporarily puts the United States atop Group D ahead of Türkiye’s meeting with Australia later on Saturday. The US face Australia in Seattle on June 19, while Paraguay will aim to bounce back against Türkiye on the same day.
