USA Opens 2026 World Cup with 4-1 Victory Over Paraguay as Pulisic Surpasses Ronaldo in Assists
The United States defeated Paraguay 4-1 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday. Folarin Balogun scored twice — the first American to do so in a World Cup since 1930 — while Christian Pulisic recorded an assist before being withdrawn at halftime with a calf injury. The result marks the first time the US has scored four goals in a single World Cup match and signals them as credible contenders on home soil.
The United States launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay in front of 70,492 fans at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. An own goal from Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla in the seventh minute opened the scoring, after Pulisic's run and pass to Weston McKennie forced the error. Pulisic then assisted Folarin Balogun's 31st-minute strike to make it 2-0, with Balogun adding a third in first-half stoppage time. Paraguay's Mauricio Magalhães pulled one back in the second half, briefly raising hopes of a comeback, but Gio Reyna sealed the result with a stoppage-time strike into the top corner. Pulisic, who was substituted at halftime after taking a kick to his left calf, now holds three career World Cup assists — surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's tally of two and drawing level with Lionel Messi and Harry Kane since the start of the 2022 tournament. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino described the substitution as precautionary, and Pulisic himself downplayed the injury concern after the match.
What's missing
The final group-stage standings implications and Paraguay's remaining fixtures are not discussed, leaving unclear how this result affects both teams' paths to the knockout rounds.
How coverage differed
The NBC News (Telemundo) coverage, published in Spanish, focused primarily on Paraguay's perspective — highlighting Magalhães's goal and coach Gustavo Alfaro's reaction — while the Times of India framed the match around Pulisic's statistical achievements and the US team's historic performance.
What different sources said
- Times of IndiaCenter
FIFA World Cup: Pulisic overtakes Ronaldo in assists as USA rout Paraguay
- NBC NewsLeft
Mauricio Magalhães marca tras pase de Enciso y Paraguay rompe el cero ante Estados Unidos
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