USMNT makes World Cup history vs Paraguay as jubilant Alexi Lalas drops ‘greatest ever’ claim

The US kicked off their World Cup in style on Friday night, with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team scored three first-half goals to blow away their South American opposition, and make history by the final whistle.

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It marked the first time the USMNT has ever held a three goal lead at the break in a World Cup game — and also the first time they have scored four goals in 90 minutes at the tournament.

The co-hosts took the lead inside eight minutes, when Christian Pulisic beat two defenders to burst into the box and tee up Weston McKennie.

His cross was turned into the net by Paraguay’s Damian Bobadilla — which became the third-fastest goal in World Cup history for the USMNT.

Pochettino’s side were aggressive from the get-go, and Folarin Balogun doubled their lead with half an hour played, when he swept home a low Pulisic cross.

He struck again on the stoke of halftime, and showed great composure to hold off two defenders before curling a stunning effort into the top corner.

With the US 3-0 up and in full control at the break, Alexi Lalas made a bold claim about what had unfolded in Los Angeles.

USMNT legend blown away by World Cup opener

“I think that’s the greatest half of group play from a men’s team at a World Cup in history,” the Fox pundit declared, in front of soccer legends Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

“Everything went right, total dominance from top to bottom.”

His feelings, its fair to say, were shared by plenty of others.

“THE USA IS GONNA WIN THE WORLD CUP,” former NFL punter Pat McAfee posted on X, sharing a video of Balogun’s goal from inside SoFi Stadium.

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“This is the best performance the USMNT has ever had in a World Cup game. It’s not even close,” another fan wrote.

“The best USMNT performance I’ve ever seen. Full stop,” a third claimed.

“I’ve watched our country suck for years. This my first time in 26 years watching USA play with so much electricity and passion,” a fourth said.

Last-minute Gio Reyna goal wraps up stunning US win

While USMNT were dominant in a historic first half, the standard slipped ever so slightly after the break.

With Pulisic, Balogun and Sergino Dest all subbed off for the final 20 minutes, Paraguay struck through Mauricio, who beat Matt Freese with a low drive across goal.

But in reality, the US never looked like jeopardizing their lead, and pushed for a fourth, with Ricardo Pepi fluffing his lines when handed two golden opportunities.

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Fellow substitute Giovanni Reyna wrapped up a fantastic evening with the last kick of the game, curling an effort past the stranded Orlando Gill with the outside of his boot.

With that strike, a 4-1 win and history made, the US are sitting pretty at the top of Group D, with Australia and Turkey meeting on Saturday.

Pochettino will no doubt be impressed with what he saw in Los Angeles, and will next take his team to Seattle, where they play Australia on June 19.

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