World Cup news: Folarin Balogun makes USMNT history not seen in 96 years vs. Paraguay

The United States opened its first home FIFA World Cup in 32 years with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday at SoFi Stadium.

The result marked USMNT’S largest World Cup victory margin since recording 3-0 wins during the inaugural tournament in 1930. In front of a crowd of 70,492, Mauricio Pochettino’s side raced to a 3-0 halftime advantage and never looked in danger of surrendering control.

The standout performer was Folarin Balogun, who scored twice in his World Cup debut. The AS Monaco striker became the first American player to bag multiple goals in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude accomplished the feat in 1930, also against Paraguay. Balogun’s first goal arrived in the 31st minute when he converted Christian Pulisic’s pass with a first-time finish from inside the box. He added a second deep into first-half stoppage time, beating defenders before blasting a shot into the top corner.

Balogun nearly had a hat trick, but another first-half goal was disallowed because of an offside infraction in the buildup.

The United States had already taken the lead in the seventh minute through a Paraguay own goal by Damián Bobadilla. The move originated from a rapid transition sequence involving Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Weston McKennie and Pulisic, whose creativity repeatedly exposed Paraguay’s defense.

Pulisic played a central role in the opening-half dominance, assisting Balogun’s first goal and helping create the own goal before being substituted at halftime for undisclosed reasons.

The Americans controlled possession throughout the first half and overwhelmed a Paraguay side that had conceded only 10 goals during its 18-match World Cup qualifying campaign. Tyler Adams and Chris Richards completed 100 percent of their passes before halftime, while McKennie and Malik Tillman were crucial contributors in midfield.

Paraguay pulled one goal back in the second half through Mauricio, but the comeback never materialized. Gio Reyna struck a fourth goal in stoppage time, scoring with an outside-of-the-foot finish after entering as a substitute.

The win also was the first time the United States scored four goals in a World Cup match. Remarkably, the Americans scored more goals in this game alone than they managed across all four matches of the 2022 World Cup, where they found the net only three times.

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