Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Giovanni Reyna of the U.S. scores their fourth goal REUTERS/Daniel Cole
DANIEL COLE
Reuters
INGLEWOOD, California - U.S. forward Folarin Balogun scored a brace in front of a rapturous American crowd as the World Cup co-hosts romped to a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday in their Group D opener.
After seven minutes, a swift combination from Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic split the opposition defence and ended in Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla touching the ball into his own net.
Balogun doubled their lead in the 31st minute as the U.S. attackers seemed to be able to cut through the Paraguay defence at will. The 24-year-old grabbed his second on the stroke of halftime with a fine strike into the top left corner.
Paraguay's Mauricio pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute after being set up by Julio Enciso. However, Giovanni Reyna completed the rout for the U.S. in stoppage time, finishing with the outside of his boot.
The U.S. face Australia on June 19 in Seattle, while Paraguay travel to San Francisco to face Turkey.
(Reporting by Ed WhiteEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Giovanni Reyna of the U.S. celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Antonee Robinson REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Lisi Niesner Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Folarin Balogun of the U.S. in action before scoring their third goal IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio KIYOSHI MIO Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Folarin Balogun of the U.S. scores their third goal IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio KIYOSHI MIO Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Paraguay's Damian Bobadilla scores United States first with an own goal REUTERS/Matthew Childs Matthew Childs Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group D - United States v Paraguay - Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood, California, U.S. - June 12, 2026 Giovanni Reyna of the U.S. celebrates scoring their fourth goal with teammates IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kiyoshi Mio KIYOSHI MIO Reuters
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - USA v Paraguay - Fans gather in Seattle - Seattle, Washington, U.S. - June 12, 2026 USA fans celebrate after Giovanni Reyna scored their fourth goal as they watch the match at the waterfront REUTERS/Steven Bisig STEVEN BISIG Reuters
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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 8:22 PM.
