Yes, it was one match. Yes, the opponent was a 3-1 underdog. Yes, fewer people live in Paraguay than New York City.
Still, what a performance. And I use that noun intentionally, as the Americans’ 4-1 walloping of Paraguay Friday night in Los Angeles was the near art form, the apex display of soccer by men rocking the Stars and Stripes—perhaps ever. There could have been tightness and nerves among the ranks. After all, Canada displayed those very traits in its 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier that day. Tournament favorite Spain was listless in a scoreless draw with Cape Verde.
As it turns out, the moment wasn’t too big for the Americans; the Americans were too big for the moment. Mature, technical, and thrilling, the U.S. showcased just how far the game has come since the country hosted the 1994 World Cup. In tournaments past, the U.S. relied on defensive solidity, collective will, and, frankly, good fortune to snatch points.
Not this group. Not with this attacking talent. And with an unimpressive defense and suspect goalkeeping corps, the only move was to lean on the gas pedal. Buoyed by confident showings in recent friendlies against Senegal and Germany, the Americans made Paraguay chase shadows all night. They pinged the ball around the pitch, creating threatening chance after threatening chance.
In the first half alone, the U.S. tallied 36 touches in the opposing penalty area and completed 200 more passes than Paraguay. At the end of the match, the numbers backed up what everyone witnessed: The hosts overperformed their expected goals total (1.42) but still notched six shots on target and limited the visitors to just 0.54 expected goals and one shot on target. The four goals were a single-match U.S. World Cup record, one more than the team scored over four matches at the 2022 World Cup.
There were ample individual performances to call out. Striker Folarin Balogun became the first U.S. player with a World Cup brace since 1930. The work rate, control, and technique he displayed on his second goal are indicative of why he finished as the fourth-leading scorer in France’s first division. Center Chris Richards, who sat out the Senegal and Germany matches while recovering from an ankle injury, completed all 83 of his passes, becoming the first player to post a perfect completion percentage on that many passes in a World Cup contest since 1966.
All against a side that, yes, was playing in its first World Cup tilt since 2010 and entered No. 42 in the FIFA rankings. (The U.S. was No. 15.) But Paraguay conceded just 10 goals in 18 qualifying matches, defeating reigning World Cup champion Argentina and Brazil and finishing just one point back of second-place Ecuador in the 10-nation CONMEBOL qualifying.
The Americans avoided a trap, brushing aside overconfidence in favor of a masterful showing. The same can’t be said for Group D companion Türkiye, which held the second-best odds to win the group ahead of its opener vs. Australia only to lose 2-0 in Vancouver. The Socceroos received an extra jolt of motivation pre-match when Türkiye captain Hakan Calhanoglu said his was the “more talented team” and would “dominate.” Odd timing, considering Saturday was Türkiye’s first World Cup match since 2002.
Facing Australia Friday afternoon in Seattle, the U.S. surely won’t fall victim to a similar line of illogical thinking—even though Australia is apparently finding similar motivation via an obscure American pundit. Results pending, an American victory could clinch first place in Group D.
Join the bandwagon now.
Grant Freking is in his eighth year of FC Cincinnati coverage for Cincinnati Magazine.
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