INGLEWOOD, Calif. – International soccer, or so we’ve been told, is not supposed to be like this. Deep runs at World Cups are created by the sturdy but unglamorous act of defending, so much so that U.S. men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino quoted Brazil counterpart Carlo Ancelotti on the topic a few months earlier. For 45 energetic minutes on Friday, though, that was not the USMNT‘s priority. They were intense, creative, stylish, downright fun at times — and they scored just enough goals to ensure a World Cup on home soil would start on a high note with a 4-1 win over Paraguay.
“In the first 45 minutes, [we] were amazing,” Pochettino told DAZN after the game. “I think [it’s] diffuclt to find a team to play like this, no? But so happy, so proud.”
It was easily the best half the USMNT had played since Pochettino assumed the role in the fall of 2024, the coach and his players hitting a variety of stumbling blocks along the way. The plans Pochettino had envisioned for his team, no matter how unlikely it felt at times, were on full display against Paraguay. The first 20 minutes saw balls over the top that would kick off a multipronged U.S. attack and create disarray in Paraguay’s defensive shape. There were nutmegs and flicks to be enjoyed, and most importantly, there were goals. By the 31st minute, the U.S. had a 2-0 lead. Shortly before halftime, it was 3-0.
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In a first half full of standout performances, Folarin Balogun stood out above the rest. The forward entered the World Cup in the form of his life and continued that streak in the first of several important games that await him this summer. Damian Bobadilla was credited with an own goal for the first one, but Balogun scored the other two, all while playing well enough to have actually scored more.
He alone justified the USMNT’s all-out attacking approach, but in earnest, he was far from the only one. Pochettino has indicated a tacit understanding that his most gifted players are his attack-minded ones and has built the team around them, much as he has in his other coaching stints in a career that has spanned nearly two decades. It is an inherently difficult thing to do at the international level, where coaches only work with players for roughly 10 days at a time, weeks or months apart, which is why many of his counterparts will lean on defensive basics this summer. Watching the U.S. in the first half, though, it all made sense — Malik Tillman, an attack-minded player in a deeper midfield position, was a perfect conduit between the players behind him and those in front of him. Outside backs Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson were crucial in the build-up to the goals. Christian Pulisic, the longtime face of the quote-unquote golden generation, was off to the races. Weston McKennie was the best version of his wide-ranging self, bouncing around in a free midfield role.
That 3-0 lead was enough to survive a low-intensity second half, one that allowed Paraguay back into the game with a goal courtesy of Mauricio in the 73rd minute. It was perhaps the spark the U.S. team needed for an energetic finish, when a few meaningful goalscoring chances came and went. There were hints of concern after the break – it is not unusual for a team with a sizable halftime advantage to take things down a notch but it is somewhat unsurprising for this group in particular. Pochettino has demanded intensity for 90 minutes but has rarely found it from start to finish, which is perhaps why they have not kept a clean sheet in their last nine games.
On a day full of justified decisions, though, one more came just before the final whistle. Gio Reyna came off the bench and scored to put any stressed USMNT fans at ease, validating Pochettino for his trust in a player who has arguably been measured to a different standard than his counterparts, no great club season to fall back on. He still boasts a talent few others do in this player pool, to the point that it came as little surprise that he cracked a squad constructed by a soccer romantic. It was a reminder that, in times of need, Pochettino’s attack-minded presence is rooted in the team’s strengths.
Things may have also taken a turn for the worse when Pulisic exited at halftime. He came off after what was arguably the best half he has ever played in a U.S. shirt – a great day to have it, no matter who you ask – but it was a decision Pochettino could afford, whether or not he was forced into it.
“He received a kick in his calf,” Pochettino said. “At the end of the first half, he [started] to feel tight … I hope that it is not a big issue and that he can be ready for the next one.”
Stiffer tests lie ahead, not least of which is their Group D finale against Turkiye in two weeks’ time. For 45 impressive minutes, though, the flickers of a statement-making summer were hard to deny. It is no coincidence that it happened just as Pochettino worked with a fully fit squad and had all of his options available to him, a rarity during his time on the job.
The USMNT may need perfect circumstances to make sure it all goes right all the time. That has always been the case for a team desperate to punch above their weight but as far as first impressions go, a curious nation – and a healthy number of international onlookers – can kick off their World Cup with some cautious optimism, at the very least.
“That feeling today, [the fans] were amazing,” Pochettino said. “And now they realize that soccer here in America is massive, is big. And be careful, other sports.”
