64 min Balogun races with the ball into space. His best options are to shoot or pass to Tillman. He opts instead to center the ball for the onrushing Berhalter, but Paraguay’s defense is there. Possibly the only thing Balogun has done wrong aside from drifting offside early in the game.
62 min I’m starting to think there are multiple US players named “Tillman.” He’s in the center. He’s on the left. He wins the ball. He shoots. He crosses.
Paraguay sub: Alex Arce replaces Antonio Sanabria.
61 min Balogun loses the ball in the box, but Tillman is there to shoot. A Paraguayan defender gets a foot on the ball as Tillman kicks it, so it’s a painful effort in the end.
We still don’t really know why Christian Pulisic is out. Fox sideline reporter Jenny Taft says he sent a thumbs-up to his family.
59 min It’s not a bad corner kick, but the US can’t get a head on it.
Adams gets a yellow for fouling Mauricio before Paraguay can get anywhere. Not much of a protest from the US midfielder.
58 min Dest attacks on the right, slips (as several players have tonight) and wins a corner.
57 min Robinson is open on the left and floats a cross too high. The US maintain possession, and Tillman’s shot from 15 yards is blocked.
56 min McKennie makes several good touches on the ball and one bad one. But before Paraguay can get the ball forward, Adams breaks things up and is fouled for his troubles.
55 min There’s a shout for a penalty as Balogun falls just inside the box, but it’s incidental contact.
54 min Bad giveaway by Paraguay with the goalkeeper well off his line, and Tillman will regret trying to pass rather than lobbing.
I’ll mention as I may have mentioned before – everyone in soccer forgets that “attempts to trip” is in the Laws of the Game, so you don’t have to see contact. But Ream clearly wasn’t attempting that.
This is very strange. The ball was barely cleared when the ref blew the whistle to listen to the VAR crew.
He goes to review the play and sees what we all saw – Ream made no contact.
Now he has a red card in hand? No, that’s a ruse. He had both cards in his hand, and he wipes out the yellow to Ream and shows it to Almiron instead. He announces over the PA, clearly saying “simulation.”
Updated
50 min A curious delayed decision from our referee. Almiron slips past Ream. The US captain slides and misses the ball but also misses Almiron. The Paraguayan attacker takes a few steps forward and then falls down. Ream gets a yellow card.
Now we’re getting a VAR check for … mistaken identity?
48 min Now we’re seeing signs of competent play from Paraguay, but they literally get in their own way on offense.
But here’s a bad giveaway from the US, and Diego Gómez ends up with a shot that caroms off a defender’s leg and drifts over the upper corner.
47 min We’ve resumed, and the USA have possession deep in the Paraguayan half.
Balogun’s audacious bid for a hat trick is deflected.
Pulisic out
Interesting substitution at the half: Sebastian Berhalter replaces Christian Pulisic.
For Paraguay: Mauricio has replaced Damian Bobadilla.
Updated
But if you’re looking ahead as a US fan, it’s worth noting – Paraguay have shown no signs whatsoever of being a competent World Cup team. They were dreadful. The defenders were lost. The midfielders couldn’t complete passes.
For the record, the USA have indeed won a World Cup group before – 2010, thanks to the Tim Howard-to-Landon Donovan-to-Clint Dempsey and Donovan on the rebound goal that sent every sports bar in the US into prolonged fits of joyful screaming. They took first on goals scored ahead of a team I’m blanking on … I think they wear white or red?
(But maybe this is the year for England.)
Still a long way to go, though. That was one half out of six. This team is capable of playing much worse than this.
Halftime mailbag I: “Mauricio Pochettino’s urging his players to play like kids again seems to have been taken to heart: They’re full of flicks and tricks, nutmegs and such,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “It’s good to see a team playing without fear, especially on their home soil.”
“There are plenty of reasons to want to see the US get knocked out early in this competition,” Andy Tuohy says. “Not least the geopolitical situation. And the fact no team of colour has any fans against them. But, one reason now is the constant cutaway to bloody celebrities every 5 minutes.”
I’m not sure who’s controlling the world feed. It might not be a US thing. David Beckham isn’t that big a deal in this country.
“I bloody like these US players,” Joe Meredith says. “Balogun’s second was beautiful. Nine points in the group? Is that mad to say?”
It’s not the strongest of groups, so it’s conceivable, but will we eventually see some regression to the mean? Then again, the “law of averages” doesn’t really exist, as late Spinal Tap drummer Mick Shrimpton would attest.
Truly a remarkable half for the USMNT - probably its best at a World Cup since the back-half against Slovenia in 2010. A lot of quality on the ball and determination to get into the attacking half whenever space presents itself, but it’s the off-ball movement that’s really making Paraguay sweat. They’re desperate to get into a rigid structure, and they aren’t being afforded the time.
Halftime: USA 3-0 Paraguay
I’m straining to remember when the US men have ever played a better half in a match of consequence. The only one I can remember is the first half against Portugal in 2002 that set the tone for the glorious run to the quarterfinals.
They’re closing every passing lane. They’re combining brilliantly and beating defenders 1v1.
Worth noting, though: Portugal put things together in the second half and cut the lead to 3-2.
GOAL! USA 3-0 Paraguay (Balogun 45+5)
Good thing he chose the USA, isn’t it? The striker collects a pass in the box and patiently fakes and stutter-steps his way past a defender, then rips the ball into the upper left corner.
Updated
45 min +3 Tillman has been a menace to Paraguay. He had the close-range shot a few minutes ago, and now he intercepts as Paraguay desperately try to interrupt another long spell of US possession.
45 min +2 Paraguay win a free kick just past midfield and decide it’s time to send everyone forward. It floats too high, and Freese snares the ball with no trouble.
45 min Paraguay manage to get some numbers around Tillman to dispossess him. Richards stops the counter at midfield.
Now one for the blooper reel – Ream slips but manages to head the ball over to Richards. The captain stands back up to receive the return pass.
Five minutes of stoppage time ahead.
43 min Point-blank shot! Well-worked down the right for the USA, and Gill has to stand his ground to keep the score at 2-0.
42 min Cáceres finally stops Pulisic, getting between the US attacker and the ball and prompting Pulisic to foul.
40 min Matt Freese touches the ball for the first time since … maybe the second minute?
But now an unpleasant sight – Balogun is down in some pain. USA take the free kick, and Dest works the ball to the end line before centering. Gill intercepts.
The players on the field were made to wait about 20-30 seconds after the hydration break to begin play again. Can’t say for certain what the holdup was, but it looked an awful lot like it does at NFL games where everyone just stands around while the TV station comes back from commercial.
38 min Richards heads it just wide off the corner kick.
36 min If you remember a viral video of a few years ago in which a group of professional players took on dozens of schoolkids and still managed to work the ball around and score, that’s what it looks like.
Tillman decides to have a go. Deflected for a corner.
35 min This is comical defending from Paraguay. They can’t stop Pulisic. They can’t stop McKennie. They can’t stop Adams.
Pulisic beats Cáceres again and lofts a cross for Balogun, who can’t get enough on the header.
33 min USA have possession. Paraguay seem bewildered at the moment.
GOAL! USA 2-0 Paraguay (Balogun 31)
No doubt about that one – a through ball finds Pulisic behind the hapless defense but kept onside by the center backs. He cuts it back to Balogun, who sends a laser past a defender into the net.
Updated
30 min USA turning up a bit of pressure as Paraguay pass around at the back. Now Paraguay return the favor.
NO GOAL! USA
Nice sequence from Pulisic to Adams to Balogun, who finishes well, but Balogun was clearly offside, and Pulisic may have been as well.
Updated
28 min Action has resumed, a bit tentatively.
End 1st quarter … I mean, hydration break.
Just before the whistle, Pulisic once again easily beat Cáceres, who is clearly in over his head. What adjustments will Paraguay make while everyone is hydrating?
22 min Robinson adds numbers to the left-side attack. Balogun and Tillman combine, but Alonso neatly shields the ball so goalkeeper Gill can collect.
21 min Tillman and McKennie figure Pulisic is doing so well on the left that they might as well join him. It’s a nifty bit of skill from Tillman, but McKennie can’t control.
20 min A farcical foul from Cáceres, who jumped on Balogun’s back.
We have a correction on an earlier yellow card, though – the world feed showed one for Gómez, but that apparently is not the case.
18 min Richards was down for a worrying length of time. He’s back up, as is Aldarete. Both players are off the field until they get waved back on.
You almost wonder if there’s a side bet in the US locker room about who can execute the most nutmegs. Pulisic has already pulled off two, drawing a yellow. Tillman followed suit a few minutes later. This team is playing with the confidence they tried to convey through interviews over the past few weeks.
17 min Another US chance! Balogun plays it out right to Dest, but his touch is far too heavy. He still works it back into the center, and Paraguay eventually concede a corner.
Aldarete and Richards are both down from a clash of heads. Richards nearly got that on frame.
15 min Good spell of possession from Paraguay now, and Almiron hits the ground looking for a foul. Upon looking at the replay, it’s difficult to see why it wasn’t called.
14 min Paraguay will need to draw up a new plan to contain Pulisic. Cáceres has already shown he can’t do it, and he’s on a yellow card.
So is Gómez, for reasons not readily apparent.
Enciso breaks out the fancy footwork to try to get past Adams. He shoots, and it may have been slightly deflected.
Updated
12 min Bobadilla stands in Tillman’s way and is called for a foul near midfield. The US opt to play short passes and maintain possession.
11 min From the free kick, the US try something from the training ground that probably needs more work on the training ground. Players not quite on the same page.
But they maintain possession. They smell blood right now.
Balogun is marauding in the box, trying to lay it back to a teammate. It’s intercepted by not cleared.
10 min Yellow card to Cáceres, and while Pulisic went to ground rather easily, it’s worth noting that the Laws of the Game include “attempting to trip. Cáceres was nowhere near the ball. Free kick to one side of the box.
It’s a good run from McKennie, who finds Pulisic. The US golden-generation leader splits two defenders and sends it back to McKennie, whose pass is redirected straight into the goal. Bobadilla is the unfortunate man whose name is on the scoresheet.
GOAL! USA 1-0 Paraguay (OG Bobadilla 7)
The first questions are asked of Paraguay’s defense, and the answer is, “We’re not ready.”
Updated
6 min Vital intervention from Chris Richards. US fans happy to see him pronounced healthy enough to play.
5 min Patient possession for the USA in their own half. Paraguay opting not to press for now.
We have the first full-stadium “U-S-A” chants of the occasion, just as the teams take the walk onto the field for this semi-ridiculous full-team opening ceremony. We may be in a glassed-in press box here at the stadium, but they came through loud and clear.
Updated
3 min Direct soccer is underrated. Good long ball to McKennie, who nods it along to Balogun. The striker can’t quite get enough on the shot.
1 min We have a foul, and Paraguay have worked the long free kick from midfield well. Matt Freese gets a hand to a high ball.
Peeep!
USA in red and white. Paraguay in blue.
Updated
We’re seeing pre-taped player intros in which players choose from several poses – crossing arms, doing a heart sign, etc. A couple of US players rubbed their hands together like supervillains.
OK, enough silliness. Here we go …
Were the anthem singers introduced? Paraguay had a man and woman offering up a rousing rendition that drew applause from the US team. The US anthem is being sung by a couple of nicely dressed guys.
The teams walked out to the Alan Parsons classic Sirius, made famous by the 1990s Chicago Bulls.
The referee and the challenge he’ll face …
“Last November’s “friendly” in Chester, PA, provided a flare-up for the ages,” Justin Kavanagh writes. “So there could be quite the grudge-match residue swirling around the field tonight. Three red cards in the first match? Tonight’s ref might be similarly busy. Gustavo Gómez, especially, might fancy an early reducer.”
That ref will be Danny Makkelle, a 43-year-old from the Netherlands. I’ve been a ref for several years now, but no one asked me. Snub.
The YouTubers I follow insist that Katy Perry’s career is done, but she received a nice welcome as she and a preteen singer closed out the opening festivities.
Updated
Paraguay’s danger man
A bit of a surprise starter because of an injury concern, Julio Enciso will certainly occupy the attention of the USA’s defensive duo/trio/fivesome:
Not on my bingo card for this session: a discussion of sounds made by predatory birds …
“Bald eagles don’t screech,” writes Sebastian Merz from Canada. “The best way to describe the species‘ vocalizations is a gobble or perhaps a chatter. It takes nothing away from the majesticity of the animal, but somehow our neighbours to the south often feel the need to dub it with a hawk screech. There may be a deeper meaning, but I can’t think of it right now.”
OK, but at least we can spell “neighbors.”
All I know about eagles is that I was absolutely terrified when one entered the stadium at the first game of the WUSA, the first attempt at a women’s pro league in the US. How does an animal that small create such a loud noise?
Earlier today …
The host nations are unbeaten so far, though a draw with Bosnia may feel a bit like a loss to Canada. Cyle Larin provided the equalizer for a dominant Canadian side that had given up a goal in the first half.
You’ll want to check out this collection of photos from the occasion, which includes appearances by Alanis Morissette and Michael Bublé. Sadly, Rush was unavailable because they’re on tour. (Were they asked, anyway? Imagine being Canadian and walking out onto the field while Tom Sawyer is played by two-thirds of the actual band along with a superb replacement for the late Neil Peart. I also would’ve liked to have seen Metric, Sarah McLachlan and Kids in the Hall.)
A bit surprising to see Enciso start in the opener, as his injury against Nicaragua seemed to be severe enough to limit his group stage availability. A major boost for Paraguay if he’s truly at match fitness, and undoubtedly will be Tyler Adams’ primary marking duty.
Updated
Pre-match mailbag I. “Paraguay vs the US. A country still scarred by a 19th century civil war, with a contentiously liberal approach to gun ownership, and a history of venerating renegades and outlaws….versus the USA.” – Paul Griffin
Waw Waw (no other name given) was also at the Belgium-Saudi Arabia match in 1994. “RFK, scalped a ticket for $25, behind the goal, Saeed running right at me. Belgium missed a bunch of chances.”
A loud ovation at Los Angeles Stadium as the US trot out in all-white for their warmups. First the starters, working on their three-yard passes. The substitutes have yet to take the field.
Earlier, the stadium screens spotted a man dressed as 1994 Alexi Lalas, long hair and goatee in vibrant orange, before cutting to actual 2026 Alexi Lalas, initially hidden by Fox co-commentator Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Alexi saluted the camera, before cutting back to 1994 Alexi, who offered his own salute. Insert your own bald eagle screech.
Paraguay lineup
According to FIFA’s site, the team will line up like so …
Goalkeeper: Orlando Gill
Defense: Junior Alonso, Gustavo Gomez (captain), Omar Aldarete, Juan Jose Caceres
Midfield: Diego Gomez, Miguel Almiron, Andres Cubas, Damian Bobadilla
Forward: Antonio Sanabria, Julio Enciso
According to our team guide, which correctly predicted the 11 players who’ll start, they’ll line up in more of a 4-2-3-1, with Cubas and Bobadilla making up the “2” while outstanding attacker Enciso is in more of a No. 10 role between Almiron, who had a long stint at Newcastle United between tenures with Atlanta United, and Gomez. That leaves Sanabria as the front-runner.
Chris Richards is IN
A 100% record on our projected lineup, with Chris Richards getting his wish and cracking the opening lineup. So, a nominal lopsided 3-4-2-1 that plays as a 3-2-5 in attack and a 4-4-2 in defense.
The US fared better against Germany after Malik Tillman dropped deeper into midfield and Weston McKennie played more advanced. I would expect similar today, though I wouldn’t discount the potential for something closer to a 4-1-4-1 with Robinson and Freeman operating like full-backs, Tyler Adams behind an attacking line (left to right) of Pulisic-Tillman-McKennie-Dest, and Folarin Balogun taking whatever service he can get.
A memorial and a warning
Early in the 2022 World Cup, a bit of shocking news came across. US journalist Grant Wahl died while covering the tournament. There was no inkling that he was ill.
His wife, epidemiologist Céline Gounder, has posted a remembrance along with a stark warning about disease preparedness or lack thereof.
Preamble
To grasp the significance of the World Cup returning to the US of A, consider this ...
In much of the world, association football fans are born, not made. Children typically have a favorite club before they can speak, whether they know it or not.
In the USA, association football fans are often converts. And a lot of us have origin stories.
Which is why I’m starting my contributions to these proceedings with something from my inbox from Peter Rehwaldt in Kansas City, who describes living in an apartment building with some Dutch students during the 1982 World Cup, when the only coverage they could find was on a Spanish-language station in Chicago:
“The three of us took over the common lounge area, and since none of us could speak Spanish, we just turned off the sound,” Peter writes. “The Dutch guys knew a lot of the players, and would give their own play-by-play commentary, which was often both hilarious and not fit for a family setting. In short, World Cup 1982 was a blast.”
Happily for Peter, the Netherlands chose the Kansas City Current’s practice facility as their US home base. (The Current stand sixth in the NWSL at the moment.)
That year was pivotal for me as well. I discovered to my horror that my summer camp experience took place during most of the World Cup. My mother clipped the scores out of the newspaper each day and dropped in the mail, and I had a notebook on which I tracked the group standings. I got home in time to see the final.
In 1994, when I could afford tickets, I found a game I could attend. That’s how I ended up seeing the goal of the tournament, when Saudi Arabia’s Saeed Al-Owairan slalomed through the Belgian defense and scored.
And yet, seven years later, association football was all but dead again. Major League Soccer was hanging by a thread. The first attempt at a women’s league had started well but would soon collapse.
Then came 2002, the best World Cup run any living US citizen has seen, unless that person is roughly 100-110 years old and happened to be in Uruguay at a young age.
Since then, the sport has gone onward and upward. At my age, kids were ridiculed for following soccer. Today, when I do substitute teaching assignments, people argue with me over Messi vs. Ronaldo or Real Madrid vs. Barcelona.
It’s easy to be cynical about this World Cup. Being ambivalent seems perfectly rational. This country may only be unified by one thing ...
Messi, of course. Ronaldo? Really?
The last World Cup showed that this sport had support in the US. The attendance records still stand.
This one won’t be as special. But at least it reminds us of the days when it became cool to support soccer.
(Yes, soccer. We’re going for a non-pedantic stance at the moment.)
What to expect from Paraguay
Paraguay earned their place on football’s greatest stage by going back to their roots: defensive strength and collective intensity. For years the team tried to play a possession-based game without succeeding in either defence or attack. Then, in August 2024, Gustavo Alfaro arrived with a clear message from day one: “Paraguayan DNA, intensity and clean sheets. That’s what will take us to the World Cup.” He was not wrong.
More from Christian Pérez and Óscar Gómez:
There will be no rousing Hollywood pep talk from Mauricio Pochettino ahead of today’s USMNT World Cup opener. He and his players are trusting nearly two years of work since he took the helm – plus all of the reasons that got them into the sport in the first place.
“The most important [thing] is not to be disconnected with your emotional relationship with the game,” Pochettino said. “They need to think tomorrow and play like they are a child – with no pressure, with no responsibility.”
Folarin the focal point
The likely starter at striker for the United States will be key to how the team builds up in attack. Jeff Rueter on what we saw from Balogun in the pre-World Cup friendlies:
Will Chris Richards play?
Most of the conversation surrounding the United States’ buildup to this tournament centered on the health of Chris Richards. The center-back has proven to be an anchor for the US, and the team has looked defensively shaky without him.
He is back in full training and available for selection, but will he play? He spoke about his chances this week:
Pochettino’s message: Relax
“I was talking with a good friend that won the World Cup in 1986 with Argentina,” said Mauricio Pochettino yesterday. “He said to me, ‘in relaxation, you become concentrated and focused.’ I think we try to be very professional in every single aspect of our preparation by creating a very good atmosphere where the player can feel comfortable and to embrace and, not to learn, but to understand what we expect”
Read more:
We are here at SoFi Los Angeles Stadium, at long last.
Not that anyone cares about journalist’s struggled getting into games, but the security situation outside is leaving a lot to be desired. There is one working x-ray machine for the entire media contingent, and security staff are individually inspecting every bag that goes through. It’s taking a while, and it’s hot. And there is no water in the media workroom.
….But we’re here now! And that’s all that matters.
We’ll be here for live coverage soon. In the meantime, here’s Alex Abnos on the buildup to today’s game:
Mauricio Pochettino paused. The microphone signal flickered. He tried, for a second time, to say a few things to the 5,500 fans who had gathered in the sun Monday at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, California – the United States’ World Cup home base – for an open training session. Nothing. Then something. More choppy audio. By the time things came back online, he had developed a quip.
“We are in the greatest country in the world,” he said in his Rioplatense-accented English. “But the technology does not work.”
Pochettino’s adaptation to the US soccer scene has not been without hiccups. The Argentinian arrived on a $6m-per-year contract (the largest outlay for a coach in US Soccer history) with a résumé featuring some of the most famous clubs and players in the world. His job: to lead a nation more known for excellence in other sports to a historic finish at a World Cup they would co-host.
You can read the full report below:
