As it happened: US defeats Paraguay 4-1 with record-breaking goal count

With the U.S. having secured three points with a 4-1 win over Paraguay, attention quickly turned to the health of its top player and star attacker, who left the game unexpectedly at halftime after recording an assist.

Pulisic was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter for precautionary reasons after he was kicked in the back of his left calf and felt some subsequent tightness.

“Staying positive,” Pulisic said. “I don’t think it’s anything.”

“I just got a bit of a kick first half, so I’m really hoping that it’s nothing,” Pulisic added. “Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I’m hoping I’ll be fine the next few days. Just the back of my leg, my calf area. But I’ve had similar things before.”

The United States’ next game is next Friday against Australia.

Júnior Alonso said the U.S. came out stronger in the first half and the South American team couldn’t make it up later on.

“The rival team had much more dynamics, much more speed, more intensity, and with that they were able to get a great advantage,” he told reporters in Spanish.

Fellow defender Omar Alderete also said his team got off to a bad start.

“It was a very tough blow for us to start out like this,” he said.

There was already palpable joy in the air for U.S. fans with their team up 3-1 late.

But the stadium positively erupted when Gio Reyna, who substituted in for Malik Tillman, sealed Paraguay’s fate with a fourth goal during stoppage time.

Families jumped up and down and hugged, waving flags around. The stadium lights flashed red, white and blue, and some people lifted their babies wearing protective earmuffs up into the air.

It’s the first time a U.S. men’s team has recorded four goals in a World Cup match.

It’s also the first time since the inaugural World Cup in 1930 that it won by a three-goal margin.

In that tournament the U.S. beat both Belgium and Paraguay by 3-0. Bert Patenaude scored all three goals against Paraguay, becoming the first player with a hat trick at the World Cup.

Coach Mauricio Pochettino is expected to address the status of Pulisic, who was subbed off unexpectedly at halftime with the Americans leading 3-0.

Folarin Balogun scored two goals en route to a dominating 4-1 win over Paraguay, the first time since 1930 that the U.S. has won a World Cup game by three goals since 1930.

The U.S. rolled to a 3-0 lead at halftime, including a Paraguay own goal, before giving up a late score goal. But Gio Reyna scored in the final minute of added time to make it 4-1.

The win bodes well for the Americans, who have never failed to make it out of group play after winning their first game.

The U.S. gets a late goal from Gio Reyna to beat Paraguay 4-1.

Moments after the United States took Folarin Balogun out of the game, the South Americans scored their first goal.

Goalkeeper Orlando Gil launched a long ball down the pitch, and Miguel Almirón controlled it and knocked it ahead to Julio Enciso.

Enciso dished to Mauricio Mauricio, who buried the shot past Matt Freese.

Mauricio Magalhães scored to make the margin 3-1.

Pulisic was withdrawn at halftime without explanation from the team. He had an assist in the first half.

According to the Fox broadcast, Pulisic motioned to his family after halftime that he was OK.

He was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter.

Katy Perry performed a song before kickoff and then took a seat in the VIP section with boyfriend and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” creator George Lucas sat with wife Melody Hobson.

Also watching was Bill Gates, in attendance days after testifying before a House committee about his past interactions with Jeffrey Epstein.

Stars from other sports were also in the house including LA Rams quarterback Jared Goff, who plays football at the same stadium.

And his teammate Puka Nacua chatted by New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, while retired WNBA star Candace Parker sat nearby.

And the rout is on.

Balogun is making the most of his World Cup debut, scoring his second goal when he got free in front of the net and found the back of the net to put the U.S. up 3-0 just seconds before halftime.

The Americans dominated the entire first half, with the ball almost exclusively in Paraguay’s end of the field.

The U.S. recorded four shots on target to Paraguay’s one.

Folarin Balogun makes it 3-0 for the U.S. before halftime, his second goal of the game.

The U.S. has struck again, scoring on a goal from striker Folarin Balogun to build the lead over Paraguay.

There wasn’t much fancy about this one, as a great ball from down the line by Antonee Robinson found Christian Pulisic. Pulisic played it into the box for Balogun, who easily poked the ball into the corner of the net.

The goal came just after another Balogun goal was waived off for offside.

Getting Balogun was considered a coup for the Americans.

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United States’ Chris Richards, left, and Paraguay’s Omar Alderete go for a header during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

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United States’ Chris Richards, left, and Paraguay’s Omar Alderete go for a header during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)

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The American team held its collective breath when he went down after a collision with Paraguay’s Omar Alderete early in the first half.

Richards tried to head a ball when he collided with Alderete. No yellow cards were handed out.

Both players briefly went down on the field and had to leave the game but have since returned to action.

Richards has been battling an ankle injury, and this is his first game in 26 days. He is considered a key cog in the American defense.

The Americans lead 1-0 at the first hydration break.

Rubio was seen sitting next to FIFA President Gianni Infantino. The two were shown on the Infinity Screen at the stadium soon after the went up 1-0 on a Paraguay own goal.

They went to defenders Gustavo Gómez and Juan José Cáceres.

GOAL!!!!

The United States has jumped out to a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the game against Paraguay on an own goal. It is the fastest the Americans have ever scored in the World Cup.

After several hours of pre-game hype, A-list celebrities on red carpets and a flyover at Los Angeles Stadium, the highly-anticipated opening match of 2026 World Cup play in the United States has begun.

The Americans opened the game as a slight betting favorite.

Music duo Purahei Soul, who has gained national acclaim in Paraguay, performed the Paraguay national anthem. The duo recently won Artist of the Year at Paraguay’s music industry awards. Many of their songs incorporate Guarani, the traditional language of an indigenous group in Paraguay.

That’s Tius Luka, a young TikTok star from Norway who’s gained some fame with covers of songs like Alphaville’s “Forever Young.” He joined Katy Perry for a performance of an unreleased song, “Wonder.”

“Tius recorded his part on ‘Wonder’ when he was 5 years old in 2021,” Perry said in an Instagram video posted Thursday. “Tius is 10 now and flew all the way to LA from Norway to sing this song with me on Friday at the World Cup.”

The boy’s father, Kent Sundberg, told Norwegian television network TV2 beforehand that it was Perry who reached out recently and asked if she could perform together with Tius.

“This is very big. It almost feels surreal that it’s actually happening. Tius is really excited, but I don’t know whether he fully realizes how big a deal this is,” said Sundberg, who is a member of Norwegian band Donkeyboy.

The South American squad is expected to rely heavily on its defense. Think Tony Bennett when he coached the Virginia Cavaliers’ men’s basketball — not particularly exciting on offense, but often effective because of its defense and deliberate approach on offense.

La Albirroja averaged just 0.78 goals per game in qualifying and only scored in nine of its 18 matches. Paraguay had a 37% possession time, the lowest of the South American teams.

But the defense is stout: Paraguay allowed just 10 goals in those 18 qualifiers.

Look for Paraguay to stack the box on defense and defend the net fiercely in hopes of frustrating the Americans, all the while hoping for a quick turnover and runout opportunity to steal a goal.

The two longtime friends are sitting together ahead of kickoff at U.S.-Paraguay.

Earlier Friday, Cruise spoke at a ceremony in which Beckham got a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Beckham is credited with helping popularize soccer in the U.S. after his stint with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer from 2007 to 2012.

The former England captain, who also played for multiple powerhouse European clubs, is part of the ownership of the MLS expansion team Inter Miami.

Winston is back behind the microphone.

The New York Giants quarterback will be a special correspondent for Fox Sports during the World Cup and host a segment with former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski called “The Other Football.”

They will weigh in on what Winston called the “more popular football game,” exploring some of the rules, intricacies and laws of the international sport.

“We are trying to find other ways to connect to the other game of football,” Winston said.

Winston previously worked with Fox as a digital correspondent during Super Bowl LIX and briefly was an NFL analyst during the New York Giants’ bye week.

Santiago Araujo’s family owns one of the few Paraguayan restaurants in the country, in the seaside town of Pacific Grove, California.

He grew up in Paraguay sleeping alongside a soccer ball because of his love for the sport, and he desperately wanted to see his native team play as it returns to the World Cup following a 16-year absence.

But Araujo balked at the prices for tonight’s match against the United States with seats selling for more than $1,000 a pop. However he and his brother scored tickets for a later, much cheaper match against Australia in Santa Clara, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) away from Pacific Grove.

Araujo is one of about 37,000 Paraguayans living in the U.S., according to Census estimates.

It may be a soccer match, but Rick Roettker and his friends were blinged out in red, white and blue boxing robes and gloves as they entered the stadium, along with top hats a la Uncle Sam.

“We’re just trying to inspire the next generation of soccer players,” said Roettker, 49, who traveled from Cincinnati. The last time he was at a World Cup was in France in 1998, when he watched Iran beat the U.S. for its first ever win in the tournament.

Roettker and his friends have played soccer together since they were 9, continuing through college. Some had professional careers — Roettker spent five years in the United Soccer League’s A-League.

The group gave a shoutout to their hometown player on the US squad: Defender Miles Robinson, of Cincinnati.

“We’re looking for a deep run into the tournament, Roettker said. “I think the boys have the quality to do it.”

Tonight’s match between the U.S. and Paraguay is being played at Los Angeles Stadium. It’s better known to NFL fans as SoFi Stadium — the home of Rams and the Chargers, and next year it will play host to the Super Bowl.

But we’re not supposed to call it SoFi right now.

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FIFA World Cup 2026 signage is displayed at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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Workers cover signage on the exterior of AT&T Stadium, which will be named Dallas Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, as preparations continue at the venue, Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Arlington. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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FIFA has rebranded the World Cup stadiums for the duration of the tournament to remove the names of corporate sponsors that aren’t FIFA sponsors.

That’s why you will see games being played in oddly named venues like Dallas Stadium (usually AT&T Stadium), New York New Jersey Stadium (MetLife) or San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi’s).

The Portuguese traveled to the United States on Friday with Cristiano Ronaldo, who said the team needs to focus on getting off to a good start instead of thinking ahead about contending for its first World Cup title.

They are among the favorites at the expanded 48-team tournament, and 41-year-old Ronaldo will be playing in his sixth World Cup. That’s the most ever, alongside rival Lionel Messi of Argentina.

“It is important to get off to a good start, do well in the first and second matches and then finish first in the group,” Ronaldo told reporters in Portugal before they departed. “Then we go match by match, but not with the expectations of winning it all. It has to be step by step. A good start is the most important thing.”

Portugal’s opening match is against Congo on Wednesday in Houston.