Pulisic’s Strong First Half

Winger Leads the Americans to Victory With a Splendid First 45 Minutes

Christian Pulisic was the catalyst behind the USMNT's emphatic 4-1 win over Paraguay in its World Cup opener, even though he didn't make it through the full match.

For the 45 minutes he was on the field, Pulisic was a constant problem for Paraguay's defense. He set up the opening goal in the seventh minute, slicing between two defenders before feeding Weston McKennie, whose pass deflected into the net off a Paraguay midfielder. Pulisic then drew a yellow card with a burst of speed, had a setup for Balogun wiped out by an offside call, and finally delivered the assist that counted, driving down the left flank in the 31st minute to tee up Balogun's opening goal.

By halftime, with the U.S. holding a commanding 3-0 lead, coach Mauricio Pochettino opted not to take any chances. Pulisic had been struggling to loosen up his left calf and was unable to properly warm up for the second half, so he was replaced by Sebastian Berhalter. Pochettino said the decision came together quickly, noting it was a late call but that things looked better by the time the substitution was made. He added that Pulisic had taken a kick to the area two days before the match and that the hope is it won't become a bigger issue, with optimism he'll be ready for the next game.

Pulisic downplayed the injury afterward, saying he took a knock early in the match and is hopeful it's nothing serious. He described the move as a precaution, pointed to having dealt with similar situations before, and said he's staying positive that he'll be fine within a few days.

With a full week before the U.S. faces Australia on June 19 in Seattle, there's time for Pulisic's calf to settle. After a performance that showed him at his sharpest, his health will be one of the top storylines heading into the next match.

American Dominate

The U.S. Came Out Firing, Rolling Past Paraguay to Open the World Cup

The United States opened its home World Cup campaign in spectacular fashion, dismantling Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in front of 70,492 fans on Friday night, putting on a performance that lived up to the glitz of its Inglewood surroundings.

The breakthrough came early. In the seventh minute, Christian Pulisic split a pair of defenders with a sharp dribble and found Weston McKennie, whose pass deflected off Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla and rolled into the net for an own goal. It was the kind of fortunate bounce that can go either way early in a match, but the Americans made sure it set the tone rather than becoming a footnote.

From there, Folarin Balogun took over. The Monaco striker, making his World Cup debut, doubled the lead in the 31st minute by finishing off another driving run from Pulisic. Then, with the first half winding down, Malik Tillman sent a long ball forward for Balogun, who shook off a challenge and curled a left-footed strike into the top corner. It marked the first multi-goal performance by a U.S. player at the World Cup since Bert Patenaude's hat trick against Paraguay in 1930.

Pulisic didn't return for the second half, replaced by Sebastian Berhalter, though he appeared to wave off concerns to family members in the stands. Without him, the U.S. attack lost some of its rhythm, and Paraguay capitalized in the 73rd minute when a scrambled clearance led to a goal from substitute Mauricio.

The Americans had the final word, though. Gio Reyna, on as a late substitute, curled a shot with the outside of foot inside the far post in stoppage time for his first World Cup goal, sealing the 4-1 final and sending the home crowd into a frenzy.

The result puts the U.S. atop Group D ahead of its next match against Australia on June 19 in Seattle.