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The United States are no longer a workmanlike outfit built on grit and grind – and Mauricio Pochettino says they are ‘winning a lot of fans’To find a precedent for the United States’ win over Paraguay, one must return to a time when World Cup teams were forced to drop out due to the Great Depression, and the ones who did make it arrived via ship, playing with a leather ball held together by seam and laces.The dominant 4-1 win matched a 96-year-old landmark – the largest margin of victory for the USA in a men’s World Cup game (they won 3-0 twice in the inaugural 1930 tournament, against Belgium and, in a neat bit of symmetry, Paraguay).Friday’s four-goal romp also marked the most goals scored by the USA at a men’s World Cup. It featured a 3-0 first-half blitz that matches the previous most unexpected 45 minutes of World Cup soccer played in the modern history of the program: the 3-0 lead built in 2002 against Portugal, a result the ESPN commentator Jack Edwards famously guaranteed was “stopping traffic all over Europe”.The result will live on in the record books for these reasons. But it will hold a special place in the hearts and minds of US fans because of the ethereal, less-fungible stuff.“I think we are winning a lot of fans, and adding fans for this sport,” Mauricio Pochettino said of his side’s performance. “I think it was a great match; was amazing for our fans to see this type of game.”No longer were the USA the same workmanlike outfit that had featured at previous World Cups, white-knuckling through on the strength of their grit and grind (though they showed some of that too, not letting a second-half Paraguay goal knock them off course).The iconic element of the USA’s opening victory was the very manner of it. Combinations flowed freely in midfield, defenders were split and dragged with alacrity. Neat finishes off moves well-worked enough to make the opening Paraguayan own goal an afterthought. Oohs and aahs stirred in the sold-out crowd of 70,492 at Los Angeles Stadium.“It’s pretty special to watch,” said Christian Pulisic, who was on a heater of his own before being pulled at half-time due to a knock picked up in the first half, and later brushed off as nothing serious. “It’s fun to look around and know that there’s different guys that can pull off these different skills and moves and things going on. It’s great. I feel like there’s such a good connection between us right now.”The USA midfielders tied Paraguay’s defensive unit in knots with rotations, in a manner that the Paraguay manager, Gustavo Alfaro, compared with “floating”. “This is a team that is complex, because they have answers to every element you throw at them,” Alfaro said. “We knew they were a very complex rival. We knew they have coordination, broadness, triangulations, and we were not ready … They dominated technically, tactically and physically as well.”One could call it, by some distance, the best World Cup performance ever by a USA men’s team. And it contained within it two of the best individual performances by US players at a World Cup.Pulisic became USA’s leader for World Cup assists and was dangerous throughout his 45 minutes. And in Folarin Balogun’s double, the US has its first multi-goal scorer in a single World Cup game since 1930 – that year again – when Bert Patenaude put three past, you guessed it, Paraguay.But in the same breath as he praised Pulisic and Balogun, Pochettino emphasized the collective nature of the performance, naming every starter on the pitch in quick succession, calling their performances “amazing”.“You want to push me to talk about names, and it’s about the team … the collective approach,” he said. “Of course, we have talented players that you can observe … but one thing we need to praise is the collective effort.”It was a collective approach that led to what Balogun called a “dreamy night” in Southern California. “I felt like it was a real statement.”“I’m not one to speculate,” Pulisic said. “I haven’t seen all of them.”

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Every World Cup needs its hosts to start well, more so this one, and Mauricio Pochettino’s team delivered on a fun day on the Pacific coastThe ball is magic, remember. Just keep watching the ball. On a lovely soft powder blue night in Los Angeles the World Cup produced an opening act on its US front that might have been conjured by the whirling hands of Gianni Infantino himself, a Fifa president who increasingly has the air and the mannerisms of an elite celebrity stage magician. Or at the very least, of a man who appreciates the power of the show.It turns out California really does know how to put on one of those. There was even a moment before kick-off that seemed to capture the cosmically strange nature of the entire Fifa multiverse. A little later the headline act Katy Perry would appear in a silver bustle and perform on a podium alongside a 10-year-old TikToker.Before that we got Korean pop sensation Lisa, who has 105 million Instagram followers, or 102.5 million more than the USMNT, backed by a troupe of men performing surprisingly sexualised hip thrusts and groin grabs that no doubt express, on some deeper level, the value of international team sport.Adjacent to this a man in a tracksuit appeared holding aloft a golden ball, like some ancient deity hoisting god’s gonad on his shoulders. At which point an enormous golden Fifa sign appeared, all four letters at least 50ft high, winched down out of the ether like a vision of divine grace – if not the most ludicrous sporting spectacle of all time, then surely the most ludicrous yet.What is the vast golden Fifa sign even supposed to signify? Behold: the acronym of an administrative organisation! What power is it expressing, what legitimacy? How should we worship it? How do we escape its wrath?The Fifa sign did eventually re-reascend, grudgingly. And by the end of the night a US team that came into this tournament with fingers crossed had run all over a disappointing Paraguay, scoring three times in the first half en route to a breezy 4-1 win.Every World Cup needs its hosts to start well. Even more so in the US, where there is always the lurking fear the president might decide to sulk or lose interest, like an angry toddler overturning his train set.Mainly Fifa needed it, at a World Cup that has been stretched thin and made strange, converted into a politicised public leisure-tainment product, in a nation that seems to be constantly at war with itself.A single fun, distracting day on the Pacific coast might still turn out to be the equivalent of turning up the music to mask the sound of the neighbours arguing through the wall. But we know how the spectacle works. And this was irresistible in a Los Angeles kind of way, on one of those nights when even the air seems to turn soft and blue.Before kick off the main rump of US fans had come sweeping down the boulevards in a rush of flares and pageantry, like the massed reserves in a civil war re-enactment. There is a slight misconception these fans see themselves as hard core ultras. In reality this is more like a costume party, an uncle Sam-ish show of Americana, stars and stripes dungarees, twirling flags, pom poms, straw hats, bow ties that spin around.The stadium here is stunning, all swooping lines, cooling fountains and funnelled breezes, a place that looks like it was designed by people in robes on some far flung Star Trek planet. It really should be staging the final, even if it will still cost you a scandalous $23.50 for a beer on the concourse.Fireworks flared. There were deafening roars of “Yoo Ess Ay”. Mauricio Pochettino appeared on his touchline in a blue grey suit and white trainers, hair rakishly long, looking like a 1980s cop whose work takes place exclusively on speedboats filled with diamonds.And the US started in a whirl of high pressing and forward movement, impressively fearless on a day that represents the biggest moment in any of these players’ international careers.The opening goal was made by Weston McKennie’s driving run and a cut back deflected into his own net by Damián Bobadilla. Paraguay had beaten Brazil and Argentina in qualifying. Here they spent the opening hour in a sullen defensive crouch, fulfilling Gustavo Álvarez’s brief to become “the team no one wants to face”, if only because this involves watching them play.Folarin Balogun got the second on the half hour mark. And there is a significant point here, even a note of grace through the fog. A certain version of America is being punted around the place right now. This vast democracy, a place of immigrants and liberty, has been rattling down its fences, pursuing its own citizens, parroting a divisively insular rhetoric.This US team does represent something else. It is a hugely mixed and diverse group of dual nationals, people with roots in places from Liberia to Croatia. Balogun, the decisive presence on the pitch, is of Nigerian descent, a place Trump has insulted, bombed and excluded. And here that diverse and spirited team did the thing sport does, modelling an ideal of harmony and fellowship, making a stadium and wider sporting nation happy. Moments like this don’t solve anything. But sport is always trying to tell you something, if you can be bothered to listen.Balogun got the third too, leaving two defenders splayed on the turf and spanking the ball into the top corner as the crowd cooed and gurgled and tumbled over itself. There was time to cheer the celebrity reel on the giant screen, David Beckham and Tom Cruise beaming like a nuclear grade twin celebrity megalith, Ishowspeed gurning and gesturing, excited to a preternatural level just to see himself reflected in a camera lens, startled every time to find he still exists.Trump was absent here, and replaced by Marco Rubio in the seat next to Infantino, who looked a little grudging and sad, like that scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill is forced to endure a double date, then rushes off before the coffee comes.Perhaps Rubio can now stay on for the next game here, which features Iran, and a dramatic gear change into war, dissent and geopolitics.But this strange, bloated three-part tournament did at least take on some kind of shape in California, the place where the land ends and America fades into the blue. And suddenly the next four weeks do at least look and feel a little more like a World Cup.

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Across the parking lot from Los Angeles Stadium sits the Forum. In the 1980s, it served as the stage for one of American sports’ most enthralling entertainment outfits, the Los Angeles Lakers. Opening their campaign at the 2026 World Cup in front of 70,492 fans, the US men’s national team embraced the Lakers’ Showtime ethos.The US began their campaign with aplomb, playing Paraguay off the pitch in a 4-1 win.A day earlier, Mauricio Pochettino had preached quiet confidence. There was no need for a fiery pep talk for a group that has long aspired to impress at this home World Cup. Citing advice from a member of Argentina’s victorious 1986 World Cup side, Pochettino said his players needed to play with joy and focus.He got exactly what he asked for in a dazzling first half.The US created their own luck by taking the initiative from the opening whistle. Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman seemed to be in a competition to see who could nutmeg the most opponents, baiting two Paraguay defenders into yellow cards. The opening goal came in less than 10 minutes. Tim Ream fizzed a ball along the back to Alex Freeman, who played a well-weighted ball up the channel for Weston McKennie. The Juventus midfielder scampered upfield, getting the ball to Pulisic as both players advanced on the box. Pulisic squared the ball for McKennie, whose shot caromed off Damián Bobadilla and tumbled into the net.Past versions of the US often took their foot off the gas after scoring at World Cups. On Friday, this group of players kept pouring on the pressure. On his World Cup debut, Folarin Balogun bagged a brilliant 20-minute double. In the 31st minute, he finished off a cross from Pulisic. His second came with the final kick of the first half: he ran on to a ball up the channel from Tillman and, after some nimble work to bypass Gustavo Gómez, he placed a shot into the top corner.Pulisic was taken off at half-time, although the move appeared to be due to caution rather than injury. Evidently, Pochettino saw no sense in subjecting the team’s star player to petty shin-kicks as Paraguay scrapped to get back into the game. Paraguay improved after the break, monitoring Balogun’s movement and tightening ranks to close down the half-spaces that were often available to the US in the opening 45 minutes.Eventually, Paraguay were able to pull a goal back. In the 73rd minute, the US were caught out of position after a restart by goalkeeper Orlando Gill. Tyler Adams’s attempted clearance found Miguel Almirón just outside the box, and he quickly prodded the ball to Julio Enciso. From there, Enciso played the ball into substitute Maurício’s stride, and the Palmeiras winger ushered his shot beyond Matt Freese.It was a consolation for Paraguay as well as a reminder that this US team have faults. There were holes for Paraguay to exploit across the defence and some concerns about Freese’s reluctance to leave his line. The US’s next opponents, Australia and Turkey, will most likely test Freese’s instincts more, and the defense will need to be sharp, even if they hold a healthy lead.But those are problems for another day. Since the US were announced as co-hosts for this World Cup, every move by a US international has been viewed in the context of this summer’s tournament. Rather than buckle under the pressure, on Friday this team played with a determination to prove they belong at this tournament.It’s hardly a show if you don’t hit the high notes at the end. With Paraguay trying to preserve their goal difference, Gio Reyna – who entered as a late substitute – placed the ball beyond Gill with the outside of his boot.This World Cup cycle was seldom pretty, but it was all mere prelude. These are the bright lights under which this US team have prepared to play – and for 45 minutes, they didn’t flub a single line.

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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.”

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Australia, the USA and Turkey should not underestimate La Albirroja, who have gone from mockery to one of the most feared teams in South AmericaParaguay are back at a World Cup after almost two decades of absence and tribulations – and ready to give Australia, the USA and Turkey a run for their money. Their last appearance was at South Africa 2010, their best performance to date, when they reached the quarter-finals before saying goodbye with a loss against the greatest Spain team of all time.La Albirroja seemed lost for years. But after a dismal 2024 Copa América, everything changed. Destiny delivered Gustavo Alfaro, the man who saved Paraguay from what looked like another impending catastrophe.The 63-year-old Argentinian breathed new life into a hopeless team. He restored morale, revived belief and strengthened the side both individually and, more importantly, collectively. From a team that was widely mocked to one of the most feared in South America, La Albirroja have made the continent tremble – and should pose problems for Australia, the US and Turkey. In qualification, they defeated Brazil and the reigning world champions Argentina – coming from behind in the latter match to record a famous victory in Asunción.None of the teams in Group D can afford to underestimate La Albirroja. They have recovered, consolidated and added countless strengths. “I would love people to see Paraguay again as the team no one wants to face,” Alfaro said upon his arrival in August 2024. Although his appointment initially raised doubts, his words have proved prophetic.Under Alfaro, Paraguay lost just one away match in the qualifiers – to Brazil – and, alongside Ecuador and Argentina, finished as one of the strongest teams in the competition under the man they call “the hunter of utopias”.La Albirroja have regained their historic strengths: an almost unbreakable defence and excellent structural balance. They do not apply a high press; instead, they press in midfield, which can become a dangerous trap for opponents.Thanks to their tactical discipline, they consistently frustrate the opposition’s creativity. While rivals become disorganised in attack, Paraguay strike with rapid transitions and clinical accuracy. They usually set up in a 4-2-3-1 during midfield pressing phases, but drop into a compact 4-4-2 when defending deep.Paraguay are not a high-scoring or overly attacking side, but they rely on effectiveness and efficiency to get results. Dominating possession against them can be risky, because it often plays into exactly what Alfaro wants. That might be more of a potential problem for Turkey, who are expected to enjoy more possession than their opponents, than for Australia or the US.Defence has always been a hallmark of Paraguayan football. Under Alfaro, La Albirroja have not only recovered this virtue but have evolved it, adding progressive buildup play. Central defender Omar Alderete has been outstanding, while captain Gustavo Gómez remains one of the best centre-backs in South America. As proof of their solidity, Paraguay conceded just 10 goals in 18 qualifiers – the best defensive record in the competition.The heart of the team is Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andrés Cubas. The defensive midfielder closes spaces, reads the game superbly and brings relentless aggression. At just 1.66m, he may not look imposing, but his intensity often leaves opponents stunned.In attack, they rely heavily on the creativity of Julio Enciso. The Strasbourg player is arguably the greatest Paraguayan talent produced in the past 30 years. He possesses every attribute of a gamechanger: dribbling, speed, creativity, power, and a potent mid-range shot. Yet, in concerning news for the South Americans the 22-year-old went down with a thigh injury in the pre-tournament friendly against Nicaragua in Asunción, just a week out from their opener against the USA. He remains in the squad and his recovery will be closely monitored.Although Paraguay are highly practical and efficient, they lack creativity and sustained offensive volume. They depend heavily on Enciso’s individual brilliance or set-pieces to create danger. Antonio Sanabria leads the line. Elegant and technically gifted, the striker has quality but arrives at the World Cup short of match fitness after limited minutes for Cremonese in Italy.Paraguay are the prototype of a team nobody wants to face at a World Cup: disciplined, physical and suffocating. They are dangerous on the counterattack, which is a longstanding specialty and akin to the Socceroos’ vibrant youthful attack line. And they are equally threatening from set-pieces – their aerial power is sure to test even the most physically imposing defences.