Any doubts that the USA were ready to handle the weight of being a World Cup host were blown away in 45 brilliant minutes as they thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in their Group D opener. Three goals in a dominant first half – including two from former England Under-21 international Folarin Balogun – and a sublime stoppage-time strike from Gio Reyna secured a victory that sent a jolt through the tournament.
The win came in front of a glittering crowd that included the Beckhams and Hollywood A-listers such as Tom Cruise, after a pre-match performance from Katy Perry. Far from wilting under the pressure, the USA stepped up and delivered their biggest World Cup win since 1930 – the first time they have won a match by three goals at the finals.
“USA thrash Paraguay 4-1 in World Cup opener, with Balogun scoring twice in a dominant display that silences doubters.”
“Now we are so much more established,” said former USA goalkeeper Tony Meola, a veteran of three World Cups. “We have players playing all round the world, we have an incredible league and have facilities the world is using right now. Those were a pipe dream a few years ago, now we are a football nation.”
The transformation under manager Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham boss appointed 20 months ago, was evident. The Argentine will be the first to point out that nothing has been won yet, but this start was pivotal for building belief and momentum.
England great Ellen White, watching for BBC Match of the Day, was impressed. “USA were unbelievable,” she said. “You talk about pressure but they grasped at it, they enjoyed it. They probably shocked the world with that performance.”
Until Friday, there had been a sense of indifference among Americans about hosting the tournament – in Los Angeles, the city of the opener, it was easy to be unaware a major event was underway. But on game day, USA shirts dominated the metro and bars, and the team delivered a performance that may well make other teams sit up and notice.