Mauricio Pochettino “so, so proud” of USMNT’s historic World Cup win

The United States men’s national team recorded a historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay to get their 2026 World Cup journey off to the perfect start.

A brace from Folarin Balogun, one from Gio Reyna and a Paraguay own goal were enough to secure the victory in front of a packed crowd in Los Angeles. This was the USMNT’s first three-goal winning margin in a World Cup game since 1930, a landmark achievement for the team and head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

Speaking after the game, Pochettino said that he was delighted with the performance: “So, so proud. Players, the staff, deserve big credit for this performance. The most important [thing] is the performance and the feeling.”

“We know that it’s only the start; it’s nothing, it’s one game. Now we have to be intelligent to keep going in that direction,” Pochettino continued. The USMNT have a full week to prepare until their second group stage game, a meeting with Australia on June 19.

USMNT thrive as hosts

The tone was set in a stunning first-half performance that saw the US race into a 3-0 lead and have another ruled out for a narrow offside. The build-up to this summer’s tournament has brought intense scrutiny on the USMNT, who were ignominiously grouped in the 2024 Copa América and outpowered by Belgium and Portugal in the March friendlies earlier this year.

Pochettino admitted that it was a relief to see his team play without opening night nerves: “We are so happy because the first game is always so difficult. Hosting the World Cup, there is an expectation. But the way that these guys managed the expectation, the pressure... The first 45 minutes were amazing.”

The only negative on the night was a minor injury to Christian Pulisic, who was taken off at half time. The reason for Pulisic’s removal was not immediately clear but Pochettino gave the explanation after the game, confirming that it was the result of a heavy contact earlier in the game.

“He received a kick to his calf. At the end of the first half he started to feel tight and we didn’t want to take any risk. It was difficult for him to walk but we hope he can be ready for the next one,” the US boss explained.

Pulisic has time to recover before the Australia game and the atmosphere around the team will be one of real elation after a near-perfect first game of the tournament. The mood will be just as present among USMNT fans, who Pochettino praised in his postgame interview: “When you talk about American - the passion, the feeling - today they were amazing. Soccer here in America is massive, it’s big.”

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