OGNSC Staff | Los Angeles News Observer
It’s been the week Los Angeles — and really, all of America — has been dreaming about. The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup right here at home, and through two matches, coach Mauricio Pochettino’s squad has been nothing short of spectacular.
It started June 12 at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, in front of 70,492 fans who shook the venue like a California earthquake. The USMNT welcomed Paraguay for its World Cup debut with a dominant 4-1 victory — the most goals the United States has ever scored in a single World Cup match.
The stadium erupted in the seventh minute when a Weston McKennie cross deflected off Paraguay’s Damián Bobadilla into his own net. From there, Monaco striker Folarin Balogun took over. Balogun, converting a precise Christian Pulisic cross, made it 2-0 in the 31st minute. He then dribbled through two defenders to place a perfect strike to the upper corner in first-half stoppage time. Balogun’s brace made him the first American to score two goals in a World Cup match since 1930.
Paraguay pulled one back through midfielder Mauricio in the 73rd minute, but substitute Giovanni Reyna put the finishing touch on a historic night with a curling shot off the outside of his right foot in the 98th minute to seal the 4-1 final.
“All in all, just an incredible start,” said Pulisic, who was subbed at halftime as a precaution after taking a kick to the calf. “But there’s a lot more we still have to do.”
Seven days later, without their captain, the Americans proved the point. Playing without Pulisic, who sat out with the calf injury, the U.S. headed north to Lumen Field in Seattle and beat Australia 2-0 before a crowd of 66,925 to clinch a spot in the Round of 32 — the first time the USMNT has advanced to the knockout round after just two group matches in the modern era.
Balogun again created the opening goal in the 11th minute, racing past his defender and whipping in a dangerous cross that Australia’s Cameron Burgess accidentally turned into his own net. Then, in the 43rd minute, 21-year-old defender Alex Freeman — son of former NFL wide receiver and Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman — headed home a deflected Sergiño Dest free kick to make it 2-0. The goal survived a VAR review and cemented Freeman’s place in USMNT history as the sixth-youngest American to score in a World Cup.
“I looked back and they all started running,” Freeman said with a wide smile after the match.
Australia pushed hard in the second half, but the U.S. backline held firm. The result also got an assist from Group D action elsewhere: Paraguay defeated Turkey 1-0 the following morning, clinching the group for the United States.
The USMNT now sits atop Group D with six points and six goals scored across two matches — just one shy of the team’s all-time single-tournament record. Up next is a final group stage showdown against Turkey on Thursday, June 25, at Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood. Kick-off is set for 10 p.m. ET on Fox.
With the country watching and the World Cup right in their own backyard, there has never been a better time to be an American soccer fan.