USMNT vs. Paraguay score: USA start World Cup with dominant 4-1 behind two Folarin Balogun first-half goals

A great chance for Pepi that ended up over the bar after a block by Paraguay. Again, the USMNT didn't get a corner, but VAR can only take away corner kicks, not give them.

Ramon Sosa, Gustavo Velazquez, and Kaku have all entered as Paraguay have gotten players with yellow cards out of the game and also added fresh legs. Gio Reyna has also entered for Malik Tillman.

Paraguay scoring isn't the end of the world, but the USMNT will want to regain momentum because now Paraguay have gotten some of their confidence back.

Sergino Dest and Flo Balogun have been replaced by Tim Weah and Ricardo Pepi, which will help push this team to get more goals.

But so far it hasn't been enough to hurt the USMNT. They'll want another goal to settle the nerves, but at this point, they just need to see the match out. More subs will likely come sooner than later as the tempo is beginning to get to players.

Both the USMNT and Paraguay have made some changes, with Christian Pulisic getting an early rest as Sebastian Berhalter enters. Damian Bobadilla, scorer of the own goal, has also exited for Mauricio.

The Berhalter sub is a historic one as he and his father Gregg have become the 24th father-son duo in history to both play in a FIFA World Cup game and the second for the United States, joining Claudio and Gio Reyna

It's been a long time since I've seen a half like that from the USMNT, and it's absolutely the best half that I've seen under Pochettino from them. Excellent stuff, and Folarin Balogun is now on hat trick watch in the first match of the World Cup. The USMNT have never scored four goals in a World Cup match, so we could see history today.

Good time to remind that Paraguay's defense is quite good. Paraguay allowed just 10 goals in 18 games of qualifying, and the USMNT are looking to pile on the goals, and Folarin Balogun has shown how deadly he is leading the line. The USMNT will now need to keep their composure but this is an excellent start.

Balogun is just offside after an excellent finish so the goal won't count, but the USMNT are all over Paraguay. It remains to be seen if they can keep this pressure up, but so far so good.

The United States have held 65% of the ball, and while they haven't done much with it, their best defense is attack, as Paraguay will let it fly from wherever. The hydration break will be coming soon but the USMNT may not want to give Paraguay a chance to regroup.

Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie were so good in the build up to force Paraguay into that mistake, and now there's been nothing but pressure since. As a host nation under the vibes guy himself in Pochettino, this is a team built to make a one goal lead a three goal lead if you let them.

That was fast! Both teams have a vocal set of fans but it's hard not to argue that the U.S. team has more in the building -- SoFi Stadium was shaking after the opening goal of the co-hosts' World Cup rolled into the back of the net.

Chris Richards recovered quickly, but Paraguay came out of the gate quickly, and it led to some danger. Paraguay wanted to strike first, but the USMNT were able to create a chance from a quick counter.

The players are out on the pitch and we're about to get this show on the road!!!

Playing in front of an electric crowd in Inglewood, the USMNT will have a wave of energy to ride into this tough matchup. Without Julio Enciso, Paraguay won't have the attacking power to keep up with the press and pressure that the USMNT will come in with, as Mauricio Pochettino will lead his squad to victory.  Pick: USMNT 2, Paraguay 1

Chris Richards has taken the leap, using his closing speed and command to become Mauricio Pochettino's top center back. Now a steady tackler and vocal leader, he'll be asked to set the tone defensively against three different looks: Paraguay's counters, Australia's physicality, and a dangerous Türkiye side led by Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız.

A handful of players have wrestled for the title of the U.S.' most important player at this World Cup, but as this summer's tournament finally arrives, the crown rests firmly on Chris Richards' head.

The center back has become a steady force at center back, exuding not just competence but confidence at the same time -- and a delightful sense of humor. He described center backs as "a little sick in the head" for their willingness to do soccer's scut work, making him a professional and affable leader for the USMNT. He keeps the vibes high off the field, too -- he was part of a group of players who recently treated their England-born and bred teammates to Chili's, intent on providing them with an authentically American experience. "The Triple Dipper you have to get, but then I think it's the endless chips and salsa, but then also there's sports on TV, and also the chocolate molten lava cake, and it's just like you're sitting there and you're looking at the ground, the tile," he recalled. "You're like, this is beautiful. This is nostalgia. This is really America."

The teams are running out onto the pitch for pre-match warm-ups, a pleasant amount of applause and cheers greeting them. It's still uncleear how many people will fill the building considering the ticket prices but there are a lot of USMNT fans in the new wavy stripes kit -- and I really mean it. I don't think I've seen that many new jerseys in one building before but a World Cup on home soil will do that but they won't be the only ones clad in red and white. Paraguay fans have overwhelmingly been wearing a red and white striped kit of their own (though the kits are in the opposite direction).

A whole lot of vibe checks -- both in terms of in stadium atmosphere and the USMNT's performance -- are coming so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out my pieces on the U.S. players' coming of age story and how head coach Mauricio Pochettino has rebranded himself as the Chief Vibes Officer of the USMNT in the hopes of reaching World Cup glory.

Cattry: Folarin Balogun -- There will be a healthy number of contenders for this particular title but three years after deciding to represent the U.S. over England, Folarin Balogun looks desined to make the choice count. He leads a pack of in-form forwards but he is most poised to pop off, boasting the type of skillset that occupies center backs and ultimately ensures his team -- and the man himself -- will be in great positions to score. As the USMNT continue to embrace an attack-minded approach that has long been a favorite of head coach Mauricio Pochettino, Balogun just might emerge as the USMNT's standout as the World Cup co-hosts target a statement-making run on home soil.

Booth: Sergino Dest -- Moving to essentially being a winger under Mauricio Pochettino, we can quibble about what Dest's actual position is, but what is clear is that he brings so much going forward that he'll be a focal point to the attack. This is a balanced side where everyone will chip in a few goals, and Dest will be involved in whatever happens. There aren't many people who can take on a defender dribbling like the PSV man can, so expect him to get the ball early and often.

Herrera: Weston McKennie -- He's stepping into his second World Cup not only as a better player, but as a different one. Playing in a more progressive role up the midfield, he's playing as if he's embraced the freedom and is having fun with it. Whether it's using his creativity or connective passing to be a collaborative player, or commitment to winning the ball, it's his ability to do a bit of everything that makes him a special player. 

He was a doubt, but has recovered in order to face the USMNT which is a serious boost to Paraguay's attack.

Paraguay: Roberto Fernández, Juan Cáceres, Junior Alonso, Omar Alderete, Gustavo Gomez,  Julio Enciso, Damián Bobadilla, Diego Gomez, Andrés Cubas, Miguel Almiron, Antonio Sanabria

Chris Richards is back, and Matt Freese is in the net as the USMNT prepares to kick off against Paraguay.

Starters: Matt Freese, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Sergino Dest

The great Chris Richards crisis has taken the spotlight off several other spots in Mauricio Pochettino's squad, particularly the somewhat weird construction of a 26-man roster that threatens to leave the USMNT with four players to fill two extremely significant spots. The center has to hold for the wing backs to fly up the field, for the front three to be able to press at its best, for the team to really function. And for the USA that means that Tyler Adams needs to be ball winner, ball progressor and plenty of other things in between.

In talent terms, there's no reason to think Adams can't give this team what it needs. He was excellent for Bournemouth last season, ranking fourth among Premier League midfielders for interceptions and in the top 30 for tackles, aerial duels and clearances. He got the ball upfield quite frequently too, for a Bournemouth side that generally got most of their progression up the flanks. You wouldn't think of him as a great creator, but his role under Andoni Iraola was less about doing things in the final third than stopping the other team from getting into his third and then helping the ball up the pitch. 

Very useful stuff... if you can get it. Though the 26-year-old has won a lot of admirers since leaving RB Leipzig, first for Leeds and then Bournemouth, he has struggled with injuries and has cleared the 2,000 minute barrier only once in Europe. A relatively injury light year like 2025-26 still saw the midfielder suffer knee and hamstring issues; he returned from the latter in April, but he was carefully managed to less than six hours of football in Bournemouth's final seven league games, which came at a game a week stretch.

His now former manager Iraola has previously hinted that Adams needs management, that the only doubts he has about the player are his availability. That's why his jubilant celebration of the Knicks' game four win -- the only correct response to those glorious Knickerbockers -- was as much a heart-in-the-mouth moment for supporters as anything else. 

Adams is a reliable performer in the toughest league in the world. There are not many others in any position in Pochettino's squad where that is true. It is rather hard to believe that Sebastian Berhalter and Cristian Roldan, plucked from the MLS, can deliver at that level. That is not a slight on either player so much as an endorsement of Adams. His is a body whose holding up to 90 minutes upon 90 minutes under the heat of a North American summer would do the US a world of good. They might have palm trees in Bournemouth, but the conditions for Adams this season have not exactly been ideal preparation for a World Cup.

What about Ricardo Pepi?: Balogun has earned his distinction as the USMNT's starter at center forward but hot on his heels is Ricardo Pepi, who used his World Cup exclusion in 2022 as fuel in the years since. Pepi did all he could to earn his spot this time around and, on top of that, is now challenging for a starting role. Pochettino does not have a demonstrated habit of finding room for both Balogun and Pepi from the start but Pepi also enters the World Cup in the form of his life and at the very least, feels like the first guy off the bench when the U.S. will need a goal.

Gio Reyna makes the cut: Pochettino is poised to change the U.S. lineup from game to game, particularly in midfield, depending on what he will anticipate from the opponents. That opens the door for Gio Reyna, the 23-year-old who has dealt with injuries, a lack of playing time at the club level and a family feud since Qatar. Reyna seems to be in a different headspace these days – his inclusion on the roster is a nod to his natural playmaking ability, unrivaled in the U.S. team's player pool, ready for a starting role or one on the bench. The road to the World Cup was a rough one but Reyna remains the USMNT's X factor when they need it, only adding to the sense that this team is full of attacking depth that could get them across the finish line if all goes according to plan.

Christian Pulisic: This one goes without saying – Christian Pulisic became the face of the USMNT's golden generation before he attended prom and has lived up to the hype in recent years. He has a happy home with his club team, AC Milan, and now has a 22-game goalscoring drought behind him. He will be front and center, but Pulisic is an unselfish player with an ability to create chances for his teammates, so expect him to play a layered role at this World Cup.

Folarin Balogun: Pulisic will not shoulder the goalscoring burden on his own, and that is thanks in large part to Folarin Balogun, the in-form goalscorer who has earned the label of being the trickiest player to defend in training. His wide-ranging skillset means he keeps opposition defenders busy, living up to the billing three years after he decided to represent the U.S. over England.

Chris Richards: The center back is arguably the USMNT's make-or-break player at this World Cup, Pochettino's side one team with Chris Richards in the lineup and a very different one without him. He arrived to their pre-World Cup camp with an ankle injury but it is now behind him, the defender now slated to lift the level of his colleagues in the back line – and the team as a whole – with his gutsy approach to the job, making him an ideal leader for the group in more ways than one.

The United States men's national team open up their World Cup campaign on Friday night when they battle South American nation of Paraguay. In 2022, when the United States showed up in Qatar for the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 edition of the tournament in Russia, it was a reset for the squad. They had the pressure of needing to perform there, but it didn't end as the USMNT would have hoped, getting knocked out in the round of 16 by the Netherlands. Now, four years later, much of the core is the same, but they've won trophies and gained experience at high levels in their own right, so the pressure that would come with hosting a World Cup on home soil doesn't seem to be impacting them.

"A lot of us play in a lot of big clubs, and we've played in a lot of big competitions, and for us, the pressure is what we have inside the group," Chris Richards said following training on Thursday. "We try not to rely too much on what people are saying on the outside. We know that we have a certain standard that we want, which is to win games."

He has no doubts that if the USMNT are able to continue playing how they did against Germany and Senegal, they'll be able to get a result against Paraguay, and those things are also easier to do with Richards himself returning to health. He hasn't featured for club or country in over a month since suffering an ankle injury, but Richards has declared himself fit. As a player who has grown into a leader for the team and one of the keys to the backline, being able to play would be a major boost to USMNT's fortunes.

Tim Weah echoes Richards' words.

I think we're kind of at the stage where a lot of us are in our second World Cup, so we know how to kind of manage and balance, you know, our emotions and everything," Weah said. "I think the most important thing is not to get too high and not get too low. I think keeping that balance is key. And we're just focused on the main goal, and that's to start well. And um, you know, put on a show for our supporters."

That looseness, of course, can change, not getting a good result in the opening match, but that's why it's important to come out of the gate quickly. The crowds and vibes are on the USMNT's side, and if they're able to ride this out of the gate, who knows what they'll be able to accomplish in this tournament.  

It is entirely unclear exactly how good the USMNT will be over the next few weeks, but one thing is certain – they will not be boring.

Slowly but surely, Pochettino has built a team that suits his well-documented stylistic preferences as a coach in an ambitious read of the player pool's strengths. At their best, Pochettino's U.S. team is a multifaceted attack-minded team – players in different areas of the pitch put pressure on opposing defenses in the hopes of overwhelming them. Players on the flanks are really easy to spot in Pochettino's system, so expect Dest and Robinson to push forward as the first – but not the last – wave of the offense.

It is almost a method by which to overcompensate for their defensive weaknesses. The USMNT have just one clean sheet in their last 14 games, the group proving to be error-prone during Pochettino's spell in charge. This could be down to the coach's propensity for experimentation, especially over the last several months when all the U.S. had on their schedule were a batch of high-profile friendlies. There is only so much hope that they can keep things tight consistently in the back – some of their defenders are noticeably better than others and may have a tricky time against high-quality attackers.

Date: Friday, June 12 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Stadium -- Inglewood, Calif.
TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Odds: USMNT -110; Draw +240; Paraguay +320

USA: Matt Turner, Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun.
Paraguay: Roberto Fernández, Juan Cáceres, Junior Alonso, Omar Alderete, Gustavo Gomez,  Kaku, Alejandro Romero, Diego Gomez, Andrés Cubas, Miguel Almiron, Antonio Sanabria

Did you know that the USMNT and Paraguay met in November in a friendly? It was a 2-1 win for the Americans with goals from Gio Reyna and Folarin Balogun. In that match, Reyna scored in the fourth minute before Alex Arce drew level six minutes later. Paraguay center back Omar Alderete received a red card in the 45th minute. 

Paraguay's return to the World Cup was hanging in the balance after earning just five points from the first 18 possible in qualifying. They looked like a side that might just not make it. Then Gustavo Alfaro arrived, and everything shifted. Impressive wins over Brazil and Argentina under Alfaro helped Paraguay finish a comfortable sixth in CONMEBOL, earning automatic passage without needing a playoff, with the Argentine manager using that touch of magic that has made him one of the most underrated managers in the game. This is a guy who can do more with less. He took tiny Arsenal de Sarandi of Argentina, whose games I often attended while living in Buenos Aires, to continental glory, shockingly winning the 2007 Copa Sudamericana against Mexico's Club America. Then, he also took Ecuador to the previous World Cup, where they had the unfortunate luck of being grouped with hosts Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands. 

Read more here:

Meet USMNT's World Cup opponents: What to know about Paraguay, Australia and Turkiye

Roger Gonzalez