World Cup 2026: USA 4-1 Paraguay - Folarin Balogun at double as Mauricio Pochettino's hosts deliver statement victory

The USA kicked off their World Cup on home soil with their joint best-ever victory in the tournament's history as a sizzling performance saw them thrash Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles.

Any weight of expectation on the shoulders of Mauricio Pochettino's men was quickly brushed off as they led from the seventh minute in front of a truly sell-out crowd, with Christian Pulisic pulling the strings - and making that opener, turned through his own net by Damian Bobadilla - before he was withdrawn at the break as a precaution.

He ended up usurped by forward Folarin Balogun, whose first-half double put the hosts out of sight before the interval as a performance filled with Pochettino-esque rotations and intensity blew their normally defensively resolute visitors away.

That tempo dropped off after the break and allowed substitute Mauricio a chance to pull a goal back with 17 minutes left, but Giovanni Reyna put the cherry on the cake of a rampant - and deserved - opening win with a fittingly confident outside-of-the-boot finish in the dying seconds.

Quite how much Pochettino and his side can read into their opening victory remains to be seen and his pre-match assertion that the USA can win the World Cup still seems unlikely - but for a nation who have won only one knock-out World Cup game in its entire history, this certainly suggests a second may not be far away.

The key moments from Los Angeles... Pochettino 'so proud' as USA shake off 'difficult' host role

USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino to BBC Sport:

"I'm so, so proud. The players, the staff, but the most important thing is the performance and the feeling.

"This is only one game, it's the start, but we need to be intelligent.

"The first game is always so difficult, hosting the World Cup and the expectations.

"But the way they dealt with the pressure, the first 45 minutes was amazing.

"Pulisic had a kick on his calf, and was feeling a little bit tight. We didn't want to take any risks with him. Hopefully it's not a big issue for him."

Analysis: They won't win it - but the USA might be this year's dark horse

Sky Sports' Ron Walker:

"It is lovely to get swept along on a current of World Cup fever but barring an upset of Leicester-esque proportions, the USA are not going to win the tournament.

"But really, that is not the aim. As defender Chris Richards said ahead of their opening game, if they are not the squad to do it, they want to be the ones motivating the generation who do.

"And there is little more inspirational than the way they played. Mauricio Pochettino has his side not only well-drilled but brimming with confidence. The rotations between Antonee Robinson and Christian Pulisic were a particular highlight until the latter's withdrawal at the break.

"The tempo was high from the off but the off-the-ball runs were perhaps the most impressive aspect of a strong performance, not only the consistency of them but the number of players involved - though Weston McKennie deserves a particular mention. Often the ball didn't come, but the belief and willingness remained that it might the next time.

"It all left a Paraguay team who had conceded just 10 goals in 18 qualifying games bamboozled. No, the US won't win the tournament but they might have a lot of fun along the way.

"And there is no reason they should not go deep into the knock-outs, Pulisic's fitness notwithstanding, to provide that inspiration not only to the next generation of US footballers, but a country finally accepting football as its own."

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