INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The U.S. men’s national team spent its buildup to the largest World Cup in history in calm, quiet environs.
The United States’ preparation began at the new U.S. Soccer National Training Center, located almost 25 miles south of Atlanta on what was once a cow pasture. It continued at the expansive Orange County Great Park, roughly 40 miles south of Los Angeles. But on Friday? Calm turned into an explosion. In their home World Cup opener against Paraguay, the U.S. asserted themselves early, controlled the first half, scored three before the break, and ended up with a historic 4-1 win.
The World Cup is here. So is our biggest discount ever.
The U.S. took the lead with an own goal in the seventh minute.
“I was like, ‘Okay, luck is on our side a little bit,’” Weston McKennie said.
A deflected cross from Christian Pulisic then fell perfectly into the path of Folarin Balogun, which he buried to double the lead in the 31st minute. There was no fortune needed for the third strike in stoppage time, an exclamation point from Balogun with his left foot.
“Incredible first half from the team. It’s exactly the way we wanted to start, and exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament,” captain Tim Ream said. “The overall energy, the aggressiveness, the intensity, the focus on both sides of the ball. Everything was just about perfect.”
