Balogun brace steers USA to victory against Paraguay
Folarin Balogun shined with a brace in the United States' 4-1 victory over Paraguay.
LOS ANGELES – The FIFA World Cup 2026 continued with the United States of America winning 4-1 against Paraguay in Group D on Friday at Los Angeles Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA.
Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie engineered the U.S. opening goal in the 7’, with Pulisic dribbling through the defense to find McKennie in the box and cause an own goal from Damián Bobadilla.
Folarin Balogun extended the lead for the hosts in the 31’ with a right-footed strike just left of the penalty spot to meet a service from Pulisic. The goal marked Balogun’s first in his World Cup debut.
Balogun obtained his brace in the 45’+5’ with a left-footed strike into the top-left corner of goal. Malik Tillman earned the assist by providing the through ball that led to Balogun’s individual brilliance inside the penalty area.
Paraguay cut the deficit in the 73’ through halftime substitute Mauricio.
Giovanni Reyna struck from edge of the box in the 90’+8’ to put a bow on the victory as the Stars and Stripes collected the full three points.
The U.S. will play its second group stage fixture when it hosts Australia on June 19, 3pm ET (12pm local time), at Seattle Stadium in Seattle, Washington, USA.
United States vs Paraguay – Post-Match Facts
• The United States recorded its largest-ever victory margin in a FIFA World Cup match, winning by three goals for only the third time in tournament history. The previous two occasions both came in 1930, with 3-0 victories over Belgium and Paraguay. It was also the first time the United States scored four goals in a FIFA World Cup match.
• At 38 years and 250 days old, Tim Ream became the oldest player ever to represent the United States in a FIFA World Cup.
• The United States’ opening goal, scored at 6:48, was the third-fastest goal ever scored by a host nation in its opening match of a FIFA World Cup, behind only France in 1938 (0:35) and Germany in 2006 (5:08).
• Folarin Balogun scored his 10th international goal for the United States. Four of those goals have come against CONMEBOL opposition, including two against Paraguay.
• Balogun became just the second player to score multiple goals in a FIFA World Cup match for the United States, joining Bert Patenaude, who scored a hat-trick against Paraguay in 1930.
• Christian Pulisic recorded an assist and now has four goal contributions in FIFA World Cup play (one goal, three assists). Among U.S. players since 1966, only Landon Donovan (5) has been involved in more World Cup goals.
• The United States has now benefited from four own goals in FIFA World Cup history. Only France (6) has received more, while the United States is tied with Germany and Italy for second place on the all-time list.
• Tim Ream completed 23 line-breaking passes, the most by any player in a match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far and the most by a defender in a World Cup match since Ghana’s John Pantsil against the United States in 2010.
• Chris Richards completed all 83 of his attempted passes, the highest total ever recorded with a 100% passing accuracy rate in a FIFA World Cup match since detailed records began in 1966.
• The United States recorded 53 touches inside Paraguay’s penalty area, its highest total in a FIFA World Cup match since at least 1966. The previous U.S. record was 36 touches, achieved against Iran in 1998 and Algeria in 2010.
