US open World Cup campaign with 4-1 win over Paraguay

By Hoang Nguyen JUN. 13, 2026

Co-hosts United States made an emphatic start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Group D at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on Saturday.

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Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta (GMT+7)

June 13
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4-1. Game over!
The U.S. closed this game with a cinematic ending, as the substitute Reyna scored a beauty with a trivela. The ref also blew the final whistle after the goal. This was a dream opening match for the host.

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The official attendance figure for this match has been confirmed as 70,432. The SoFi Stadium has a capacity of 70,240.

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Junior Alonso received a yellow in an attempt to block a counterattack. Paraguay have received four yellow cards so far.

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Seven minutes are added to the second half.

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Paraguay's goal, while offering hope for a late comeback, wasn't enough to improve their chances. According to Opta, the U.S. have a 98.4% chance of securing three points. The probability of a draw is only 1.5%, while Paraguay's chance of a comeback is 0.1%.

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Paraguay made three more substitutions, while the U.S. replaced Tillman with Gio Reyna.

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Paraguay's Gustavo Gomez was booked in an attempt to stop a counterattack and had a strong reaction to the ref.

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Weah took a crack at goal, but Orlando Gill saved it with his fingertips. However, the U.S. didn't get a corner.

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Paraguay's goal came just a few seconds after the U.S. replaced Balogun and Dest with Timothy Weah and Ricardo Pepi.

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Paraguay get one back!
And it's no other than the substitute Mauricio, with a clean finish to the far corner after the ball found him open down the left.

Paraguay's Mauricio celebrates after scoring during the World Cup Group D football match against the United States in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, June 13, 2026. Photo by AP

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The pressure on Mauricio Pochettino and his team is immense, with fans expecting the national team to achieve their most successful campaign in World Cup history as the co-host.

The U.S. have home advantage and are 17th in the FIFA rankings. They were unbeaten in their last three World Cup opening matches, but haven't advanced beyond the Round of 16 since 2002.

Paraguay are 41st in the world and qualified for the World Cup after finishing sixth in the South American qualifying round. Paraguay reached the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup, but haven't won an opening match since the 1986 tournament.

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