The World Cup has gotten off to an extremely good start for the largest host country. In the first match on American soil, the United States team overwhelmed Paraguay on Friday evening local time. The score was 4-1 in a sold-out So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Americans played fast and attractive football, especially in the first half, and managed to put Paraguay under pressure from the very beginning with play that was barely able to keep up. It was 3-0 at halftime. Star of the match was Folarin Balogun, who plays for AS Monaco, and scored two of the American goals.
In the second half, Paraguay became a little more dangerous and scored after an error by the American defense, but it did not become really exciting. The US completed the humiliation with a fourth goal from Gio Reyna in the eighth minute of stoppage time.
After the match, which was refereed by Dutchman Danny Makkelie, there was a lot of international praise for the American team. The BBC spoke of a “dream start”. Four years ago, at the World Cup in Qatar, the US only managed to score three goals, but this time things seem to be looking much better.
In line with reports in recent days, President Donald Trump was not present at the match, apparently a setback for FIFA president Gianni Infantino. He ended up sitting next to Marco Rubio, Secretary of State and the top US representative.
The fact that the head of government of a host country is not present at the first match is unusual for a major football tournament. The stadium in Los Angeles was full of stars and other famous names, such as Tom Cruise and David Beckham. There was a performance beforehand by artist Katy Perry, who then watched the match with her friend Justin Trudeau, former Prime Minister of Canada.
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2026 FIFA World Cup
The United States leaves little to Paraguay in the first match on American soil