Pochettino was right: Dominant USMNT runs over Paraguay in World Cup debut

For nearly two years, Mauricio Pochettino issued the same warning: The USMNT might not win the World Cup, but their style of soccer would make the journey toward that dream beautiful. On Friday night, his supersonic side completely ran over a Paraguay squad that looked unrecognizable in both their kits and their fighting spirit.

Team USA put on a Hollywood-worthy performance under the lights, fueled by an electric first-half display from an enraged Folarin Balogun and a revitalized Christian Pulisic. “The important thing is the World Cup,” Pochettino had repeated ad nauseam. He said it because he had a plan.

The United States started like a hurricane. Folarin Balogun had already threatened the backline when Christian Pulisic bravely took on Gustavo Gómez and Cáceres—and won. The AC Milan winger was a beast in his element, driving forward before Weston McKennie kept the high-tempo sequence alive. In his panic, Paraguay’s Raúl Bobadilla deflected the ball into his own net with a clinical finish even Balogun would envy—a tragicomic own goal worthy of Mark Twain.

From there, the USMNT ruthlessly punished Paraguay’s sluggishness again and again. With each onslaught came a roar from the crowd, the distinct sound of a soccer culture coming of age. Pochettino’s squad was hungry, playing with the repressed fury of the past two years.

The offensive onslaught didn’t relent. The ball moved harmoniously through the Pulisic-McKennie-Tillman circuit, while Sergiño Dest executed a flawless, high-speed tactical shift on the wing. It was a masterclass in first-touch passing: Balogun laying the ball off to combine with McKennie, and Dest trading passes with Freeman to burst down the right flank. Total soccer, some would say.

Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro could do nothing to right the ship during the hydration break. La Albirroja still looked as fragile as fine china. On the other side, Pochettino kept demanding more. Folarin Balogun had already beaten goalkeeper Carlos Miguel Coronel once, glancing twice toward the referee with a hint of suspicion before the play was waved off. It didn’t matter.

Soon after, Pulisic tore past Cáceres and swung a cross inside. This time, Balogun mirrored Bobadilla’s earlier precision, leaving Gustavo Gómez and Omar Alderete standing as completely frozen, privileged witnesses—just as they had been all afternoon. Moments later, a Chris Richards header rattled the right post before Sergiño Dest—looking a bit like Cafu (proportions aside), a fullback seasoned in the Netherlands with pure American blood in his veins—turned Junior Alonso inside out and narrowly missed the target. Weston McKennie’s rebound then deflected off Alderete before safely reaching the beleaguered Paraguayan keeper.

The symphony ended with one last, exquisite movement. Operating like an elite quarterback, Malik Tillman delivered a smooth, pinpoint pass—a signature Tom Brady-style dime. Balogun let the ball slip past him to lose Alderete, exploded past Gómez, and tucked the clinical finish into the back of the net. Just two days into the tournament, the goal of the World Cup had arrived. Cue the applause.

Pulisic mystery

Gustavo Alfaro’s halftime adjustment was at least enough to stem the bleeding. Paraguay finally managed to shut down the channels where Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman—who played like three men tonight—had been roaming completely unchecked. From that point on, the Guaranís forced Matt Turner into action, finally making the American goalkeeper sweat.

Yet, the USMNT machine kept right on rolling, even without an incandescent Christian Pulisic, who mysteriously did not return to the pitch after halftime. In his absence, Sergiño Dest, Folarin Balogun, and Tillman continued to romp through corridors that Andrés Cubas and Mauricio Magalhães simply failed to seal. Team USA lost a bit of its first-half polish, but the tactical circuit remained fully operational. All that was missing was the final pass—the last nail in the coffin.

But Paraguay still possesses that mythical South American fighting spirit. Out of nowhere, goalkeeper Carlos Miguel Coronel launched a high ball that Alex Arce brought down from the heavens. Julio Enciso opened up the pitch with the refined touch and vision of a true playmaker, slipping a pass to Mauricio Magalhães, who threaded a through ball that caught the cold U.S. defense completely sleeping. ¡Avy’a! The Guaranís are true warriors.

Refusing to let a late scare spoil the party, the USMNT immediately locked back in. Malik Tillman—or one of his tireless clones—combined with McKennie to find Timothy Weah completely free on the right flank, though his one-time blast flew just wide after a fingertip save from Coronel. Minutes later, Ricardo Pepi launched a shot into orbit off a Gregg Berhalter pass, right before Gustavo Gómez, the eternal heartbeat of this Paraguayan side, stepped in to break up a flashy combination between Gio Reyna and Antonee Robinson.

It was all just a prelude to the grand finale, the icing on the cake: Gio Reyna unleashed a beautiful, curling strike into the far corner—a spectacular trivela that Luka Modrić himself would be proud of. It was a match with premium cinematic flavor, set to a high-tempo jazz soundtrack. This is exactly what Pochettino meant: total soccer.

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USA

• 24 Matt Freese
• 16 A. Freeman
• 3 Chris Richards
• 13 Tim Ream
• 5 Robinson
• 17 Malik Tillman (81')
• 8 Weston McKennie
• 10 Christian Pulisic (45')
• 2 Sergiño Dest (71')
• 4 Tyler Adams
• 20 Folarin Balogun x2(71')
• Substitutes
• 26 Alejandro Zendejas
• 1 Matt Turner
• 11 Brenden Aaronson
• 15 Cristian Roldan
• 12 Miles Robinson
• 18 Max Arfsten
• 19 Haji Wright
• 14 Sebastian Berhalter (45')
• 23 Joseph Scally
• 6 Auston Trusty
• 21 Tim Weah (71')
• 7 Gio Reyna (81')
• 25 Christopher Brady
• 22 Mark McKenzie
• 9 Ricardo Pepi (71')

Paraguay

• 12 Orlando Gill
• 4 Juan José Cáceres (78')
• 15 Gustavo Gómez
• 6 Junior Alonso
• 3 Omar Alderete -
• 8 Diego Gómez (79')
• 14 Adrián Cubas
• 16 Damián Bobadilla (45')-
• 10 Miguel Ángel Almirón (78')-
• 19 Julio Enciso
• 9 Sanabria (61')-
• Substitutes
• 11 Mauricio (45')
• 25 Isidro Pitta
• 24 Gustavo Caballero
• 1 Roberto Fernández
• 13 José Canale
• 22 Gastón Olveira
• 5 Fabián Balbuena
• 2 Víctor Velázquez (78')-
• 18 Álex Arce (61')
• 26 Alexandro Maidana
• 7 Ramón Sosa (78')-
• 20 Braian Ojeda
• 21 Gabriel Ávalos
• 17 Alejandro Romero (79')-
• 23 Matías Galarza

Substitutions

Sebastian Berhalter (45', Christian Pulisic), Mauricio (45', Damián Bobadilla), Álex Arce (61', Antonio Sanabria), Timothy Weah (71', Sergiño Dest), Ricardo Pepi (71', Folarin Balogun), Ramón Sosa (78', Miguel Almirón), Gustavo Velázquez (78', Juan José Cáceres), Alejandro Romero (79', Diego Gómez), Giovanni Reyna (81', Malik Tillman)

Goals

1-0, 6': Damián Bobadilla, 2-0, 30': Folarin Balogun, 3-0, 49': Folarin Balogun, 3-1, 72': Mauricio, 4-1, 97': Gio Reyna

Cards

Referee: Danny Makkelie
VAR Referee: Carlos del Cerro Grande, Dennis Higler
Juan José Cáceres (9',Yellow), Miguel Ángel Almirón (52',Yellow), Tyler Adams (58',Yellow), Diego Gómez (78',Yellow), Álex Arce (87',Yellow), Junior Alonso (92',Yellow)

Standings

Group D	Pts.	P	W	D	L
1 EE.UU.	3	1	1	0	0
2 TUR	0	0	0	0	0
3 AUS	0	0	0	0	0
4 PAR	0	1	0	0	1

Group D	Pts.	P	W	D	L
1 EE.UU.	3	1	1	0	0
2 TUR	0	0	0	0	0
3 AUS	0	0	0	0	0
4 PAR	0	1	0	0	1