The team coached by Mauricio Pochettino quickly imposed its control on the match. Set up in a 4-2-3-1 with Christian Pulišić, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams and Balogun in the starting XI, the United States opened the scoring as early as the 7th minute before extending the lead through its center forward.

Balogun scored for the first time in the 31st minute from a Pulišić pass, then netted the Americans’ third goal in the 50th, set up by Malik Tillman. That double put the United States in a very favorable position, while Paraguay had already been cautioned early in the match when Juan Cáceres received a yellow card in the 10th minute.

Paraguay, lined up in a 4-4-2 by Gustavo Alfaro with Miguel Almirón, Antonio Sanabria and Julio Enciso, pulled one back in the 73rd minute through Maurício Magalhães Prado, assisted by Enciso. The response was not enough to revive the contest, with Giovanni Reyna then sealing the score in the 98th minute from an Alex Freeman pass.

Balogun leads the American attack

Balogun’s impact was decisive in the United States’ victory. Starting at the tip of the attack, he converted two of the Americans’ strongest spells and left the pitch in the 72nd minute, replaced by Ricardo Pepi. His efficiency gave breathing room to a team that finished with five shots on target and clear control of possession.

Pulišić and Tillman also played key roles in building the win. The former provided the pass for the second goal before coming off at halftime, while the latter set up Balogun after the restart. Reyna, a scorer in stoppage time, gave the scoreline its final margin.

The United States also controlled a significant part of the match’s rhythm, with 64 percent possession according to match data. Tyler Adams was the only American booked, in the 59th minute, in a second half marked by several stoppages and substitutions.

Paraguay punished for weak spells

Paraguay paid a high price for its start to the match and its lack of attacking precision. The South American side put only one attempt on target, converted by Maurício Magalhães Prado in the 73rd minute after a pass from Julio Enciso. That goal reduced the deficit without changing the outcome of the match.

Discipline also weighed on Gustavo Alfaro’s team. After Cáceres’ early caution, Miguel Almirón received a yellow card in the 53rd minute, Diego Gómez in the 79th, Alex Arce in the 88th and Junior Alonso in stoppage time. No red card was reported, however.

With this victory, the United States add three points to their Group D campaign and confirm their recent advantage in this matchup. Head-to-head data already lists three American wins against Paraguay in 2025, 2018 and 2016.

United States

Finished 4-1 SoFi Stadium

Paraguay

13/06/2026 02:00 Group D

Fil du match

7'But - Damian Bobadilla1-0États-Unis
10'Carton jaune - Juan CaceresParaguay, 10e
31'But - Folarin Balogun2-0États-Unis · Passe : Christian Pulisic
45'Remplacement - Damian Bobadilla (remplace Maurício Magalhães Prado)Paraguay, 45e
45'Remplacement - Christian Pulisic (remplace Sebastian Berhalter)États-Unis, 45e
50'But - Folarin Balogun3-0États-Unis · Passe : Malik Tillman
52'VAR - Tim ReamÉtats-Unis, 52e
53'Carton jaune - Miguel AlmirónParaguay, 53e
59'Carton jaune - Tyler AdamsÉtats-Unis, 59e
62'Remplacement - Antonio Sanabria (remplace Alex Arce)Paraguay, 62e
72'Remplacement - Sergiño Dest (remplace Timothy Weah)États-Unis, 72e
72'Remplacement - Folarin Balogun (remplace Ricardo Pepi)États-Unis, 72e
73'But - Maurício Magalhães Prado3-1Paraguay · Passe : Julio Enciso
79'Carton jaune - Diego GomezParaguay, 79e
79'Remplacement - Miguel Almirón (remplace Ramon Sosa)Paraguay, 79e
79'Remplacement - Juan Caceres (remplace GÉtats-Unistavo Velázquez)Paraguay, 79e
80'Remplacement - Diego Gomez (remplace Alejandro Romero Gamarra)Paraguay, 80e
82'Remplacement - Malik Tillman (remplace Giovanni Reyna)États-Unis, 82e
88'Carton jaune - Alex ArceParaguay, 88e
93'Carton jaune - Junior AlonsoParaguay, 93e
98'But - Giovanni Reyna4-1États-Unis · Passe : Alex Freeman