USA Shines in World Cup Opener Against Paraguay
LOS ANGELES — For weeks, the World Cup felt like everything but football. Politics, ticket prices, border delays, transit headaches — the noise around this tournament across Mexico, Canada and the United States was deafening.
Then the whistle blew.
Once the ball started rolling, the off-field storm faded into the background and the World Cup snapped into focus. And in Los Angeles, the U.S. men delivered a statement performance that cut through all of it.
A U.S. Opener for the History Books
For a program that has spent decades searching for a defining World Cup night, Friday at Los Angeles Stadium comes close.
USA 4, Paraguay 1.
Four goals — the most the U.S. men have ever scored in a World Cup match. A ruthless, front-foot display that, for long stretches, looked like something entirely new in the history of the team.
At the heart of it stood Folarin Balogun. The striker produced the kind of clinical edge American fans have craved for generations, scoring twice and writing his name into the record books with the first multi-goal game by a U.S. player at a World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1930. Nearly a century of waiting, answered in 90 minutes.
Behind him, Chris Richards quietly authored a different kind of masterpiece.
The defender, only just back from the injury that kept him out of both pre-World Cup warm-ups, returned to the lineup and did not misplace a single pass. Eighty-three attempted, eighty-three completed — the most by any player in a World Cup match since records began in 1966. It was composure, vision and authority from the back, the sort of performance that settles an entire team.
Not everything went to script. Christian Pulisic, the face of this U.S. side, lasted only 45 minutes before a calf issue forced him off at halftime. He walked gingerly to the team bus afterward, his status uncertain and his absence the one cloud hanging over an otherwise sparkling night.
From back to front, the U.S. played with conviction and flair. It looked like a team that belongs on this stage.
But one game does not define a World Cup. Not yet.
Australia Crash the Party
On Saturday, the Americans got a clear look at what comes next in Group D.
Turkey arrived with the star power. Arda Güler of Real Madrid. Kenan Yildiz of Juventus. A squad stacked with players from Europe’s elite leagues and the weight of expectation to match.
Australia tore up the script.
With disciplined defending and sharp counterattacks, the underdogs stunned Turkey 2-0, blowing the group wide open and turning Friday’s upcoming USA–Australia clash into an early pivot point of the tournament. If the U.S. win, they seize control of Group D and stride toward the knockout rounds with real authority.
Lose, and the narrative flips. Draw, and the tension lingers.
The stakes are already that high.
Scotland’s Surprise and a Crowded Group C
Elsewhere, the World Cup delivered another jolt.
Scotland, back on this stage for the first time in 28 years, now sit atop Group C after beating Haiti. On its own, that result would be notable. In this group, it’s seismic.
Sharing the stage with Brazil — the five-time world champions — and Morocco, one of the most formidable sides in the modern game, Scotland were supposed to be background noise. Instead, they have the early lead while the giants circle each other.
Brazil and Morocco played out a 1-1 draw, a heavyweight meeting that left both sides with work to do and opened a door, even if only slightly, for the Scots. For now, Scotland look down on royalty. How long that lasts is the intrigue.
Firsts, Near-Miracles and a Familiar German Scoreline
The weekend kept throwing up stories.
Qatar, in just its second World Cup after hosting in 2022, finally claimed its first-ever point in the competition with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland. It’s a small step on paper, a huge one in the context of a nation still trying to find its place in the global game after losing all three matches at its home tournament.
In Group F, the Netherlands and Japan traded blows in a 2-2 draw that felt every bit like a meeting of heavyweights. Neither blinked, neither backed down, and both left with a point that could shape the group’s final day.
Then came Curaçao.
The smallest country ever to play at a World Cup — population 158,000 — walked onto the field against Germany and, for 17 unforgettable minutes, lived a dream. Germany struck first, as expected. Curaçao answered, stunning the stadium with an equalizer that briefly froze one of football’s traditional powers.
At 1-1, time seemed to stretch. Could they? Would they?
Germany answered that question the way Germany often does. The four-time champions shifted through the gears and ran away with a 7-1 victory, a scoreline etched deep in World Cup folklore for them. The romance faded on the scoreboard, but for Curaçao, that equalizer and those 17 minutes will live far longer than the final result.
Politics at the Gate: Iran Finally Arrive
Not every storyline has been confined to the pitch.
Monday at Los Angeles Stadium brings Iran against New Zealand, a fixture overshadowed for months by questions over whether Iran would even take part after being attacked by the U.S. and Israel in February.
Iran originally planned to base its training camp in Tucson, Arizona. That plan vanished amid security concerns and ongoing hostilities. The team instead shifted to Tijuana, Mexico, operating in a kind of enforced limbo.
The U.S. government has taken a hard line: the Iranian squad will be allowed into the country only the day before each of its three group matches. No extended stay, no comfortable base, just brief entries and exits around game days.
Against that backdrop, Iran now have to play football.
Mbappé, Messi and the Heavyweights Enter
If the opening days belonged to shocks and newcomers, the next wave belongs to the superstars.
On Tuesday, France and Kylian Mbappé launch their campaign against Senegal in a Group I showdown that already feels like a test of credentials. France arrive as one of the tournament’s clear favorites, built around Mbappé’s explosive talent and a squad stacked with depth. Senegal, with their own pedigree and edge, will not roll over for anyone.
Also on Tuesday, the defending champions step into the light.
Argentina, with Lionel Messi still at the heart of everything, begin the defense of their title against Algeria in Group J. The stakes are historic. Only two nations have ever successfully defended a World Cup crown: Italy in 1938 and Brazil in 1962. Argentina now chase a place alongside them.
The path starts with Algeria. It will not end there.
The drama has already arrived. The giants are only just walking onto the stage. How long will this early American swagger, Scotland’s surge, and Curaçao’s courage still echo once they do?
