News Focus
- The United States hammer Paraguay 4-1 in their World Cup Group D opener
- Folarin Balogun shines as the focal point after choosing USA over England and Nigeria
- Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams control the centre of the pitch
- Defender Chris Richards completes a record 83 passes with 100% accuracy
- Coach Mauricio Pochettino praises his team’s brave off-ball movement
Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side announced their arrival at the 2026 World Cup with a dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay. The co-hosts looked sharp from the start at the Los Angeles Stadium. Folarin Balogun, the striker who turned his back on England and Nigeria, led the line with power and intelligence.
The Americans controlled the centre of the pitch throughout the first 45 minutes. Tyler Adams sat deep while Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman pushed forward into dangerous areas. Paraguay’s defence could not cope with the movement. They gave McKennie far too much space between the lines.
The Juventus midfielder explained his strategy after the final whistle. He noticed early that Paraguay’s defenders could not track his forward runs. He decided to keep exploiting this weakness until they found an answer. This simple plan worked perfectly, and he found pockets of space time and again.
This performance reminded fans of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Back then, Adams and McKennie played alongside Yunus Musah in a midfield nicknamed “MMA”. Musah has since lost form at AC Milan and missed this tournament. However, Tillman’s rise and the growth of players like Johnny Cardoso meant the US did not miss him.
At the back, Chris Richards delivered a masterclass. The Crystal Palace centre-back completed all 83 of his passes, setting a new World Cup record. He played through pain from a late-season ankle injury but showed no fear. “I did not second-guess myself once,” Richards told reporters. He started attacks by feeding Tim Ream and Alex Freeman on the flanks.
Balogun provided the perfect target up front. The Monaco forward used his Arsenal academy education to find space between defenders. He held the ball up strongly and allowed McKennie and Tillman to join the attack. His choice to represent the US instead of the Three Lions now looks like a brilliant decision for Pochettino.
Some US players have struggled after moving to big European clubs. Musah’s switch to Milan stalled his progress. Gio Reyna found minutes hard to come by in Germany. But others are flying. Richards won the FA Cup and Conference League with Palace. Balogun finished fourth in the Ligue 1 scoring charts. Pulisic topped the goals for AC Milan last season.
The US must now prepare for harder matches. Turkey await in Group D, featuring stars from Real Madrid and Juventus. If the hosts top their group, they could face heavyweights like Belgium, France or Spain in the knockout stages. But with Balogun leading the charge and a solid midfield behind him, this team believes they can shock the world.