? no verbatim passage
The United States defeated Paraguay 4-1 on Friday (June 12) at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood in their Group D debut at the 2026 World Cup. With two goals from Folarin Balogun, plus an own goal by Damián Bobadilla and a goal by Giovanni Reyna, the co-hosts dominated the match in front of 70,492 fans — attendance that sold out the stadium, according to FIFA's official announcement. ?
Press quotes (1)
"FIFA later announced an official attendance of 70,492, a sellout."
The victory put the United States at the top of Group D with 3 points, followed by Turkey and Australia (both with 0 points and 0 games played), while Paraguay occupies last place also with 0 points but with a negative goal difference of 3. Paraguay's only goal was scored by Maurício in the second half. ?
Press quotes (1)
"| Pos | Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1. | United States | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | | 2. | Turkey | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 3. | Australia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 4. | Paraguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | -3 |"
The US national team returns to action on June 19 against Australia at Lumen Field in Seattle at 3 p.m. (ET). Before that, Australia and Turkey face off on Sunday (June 14) at midnight at BC Place in Vancouver, while Turkey and Paraguay play on June 20 at midnight at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. ?
Press quotes (1)
"| Fri, Jun. 19 | 3 p.m. | United States vs. Australia | Lumen Field (Seattle, WA) | | Sun, Jun. 14 | 12 a.m. | Australia vs. Turkey | BC Place (Vancouver, CAN) | | Sat, Jun. 20 | 12 a.m. | Turkey vs. Paraguay | Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, CA) |"
Folarin Balogun scored two goals in the match and was the offensive highlight for the USA
The match was considered one of the best of the early World Cup due to pace and intensity
Covered by only some sources, or where the accounts diverge.
Covered by only some sources (1)
Brasil247 attributed the report to Reuters with Ed White's byline
-
What specific tactical strategy did the USA use to dominate the match?
Why it's still unknown: Sources reported US dominance but did not detail specific tactical aspects such as formation, pressing schemes or rehearsed movements
-
How was the individual performance of Paraguayan players evaluated beyond Maurício's goal?
Why it's still unknown: Coverage focused mainly on US scorers, with little detail about individual performances of Paraguayan players