USMNT strikes early and often in the first half in World Cup opener against Paraguat

It took the United States less than 10 minutes to get its first goal of the World Cup. And it wasn't even scored by a U.S. player. Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla was credited with a seventh-minute own goal to give the U.S. an early 1-0 lead on Friday in Los Angeles. It was the third-earliest goal for the USMNT in World Cup history. And it came after a pretty linkup between Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic. From there, the United States was dominant. Folarin Balogun added two goals during the first half — including one with the last kick of the half — to give the USMNT a 3-0 lead at the break. Balogun’s first goal came after a short cross from Christian Pulisic. It was the second time he had found the back of the net, but that first potential goal was taken off the board (rightly) for an offside by Pulisic in the buildup. Then in added time late in the first half, Balogun struck again with a fantastic individual effort and finish. 2026 World Cup guide | Schedule | Group tables | Live updates The first half might have felt like a surreal experience for longtime USMNT fans. You have to go back a long time to find a performance as dominant as the U.S. put on in the first 45 minutes. Recent World Cup history has included a lot of tension and not much time to breathe easily. The last multi-goal win for the USMNT in the World Cup came in a 2-0 win over Mexico in the Round of 16 in 2002. The USMNT hasn't lost its last three World Cup openers, but it's only won one of those games. The victory came in 2014 against Ghana in a 2-1 win. The other two games — against England in 2010 and Wales in 2022 — were 1-1 ties. The early goal is a big step toward extending that streak to four straight and adding a second win.