The U.S. Men’s National Team opened its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in impressive fashion on Friday night, defeating Paraguay 4-1 in front of more than 70,000 fans in Los Angeles.
Folarin Balogun led the way with two first-half goals, while Gio Reyna added a late goal to cap off a dominant performance. The United States also benefited from an early own goal and received an assist from Christian Pulisic, who became the USMNT’s all-time leader in FIFA World Cup assists.
Pennsylvania soccer fans had plenty to celebrate as Hershey native Christian Pulisic played a key role in the victory, helping create the opening goal before assisting Balogun’s first strike of the night.
The victory places the United States atop Group D after the opening round of matches. The USMNT will continue group play on June 19 against Australia before closing the group stage against Türkiye on June 25.