By Our Man in Los Angeles
HOLLYWOOD royalty turned out to watch the new Kings of America. In front of a star-studded, sold-out crowd of 70,492 featuring the likes of Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Paris Hilton, Mauricio Pochettino’s United States side didn’t just beat Paraguay—they absolutely pulverized them in a glamorous 4-1 opening-round statement.
It was a Tinseltown production from start to finish. Following an explosive, glitzy opening ceremony spearheaded by pop queen Katy Perry, the Stars and Stripes took less than seven minutes to turn the stadium into a full-blown American party.
A driving run from midfield maestro Weston McKennie found Christian Pulisic, who delightfully bamboozled two Paraguayan defenders. McKennie’s subsequent zipped pass to Folarin Balogun was turned into his own net by the hapless Damián Bobadilla.
From there, it was complete and total American dominance. The US side choked the South Americans with a breathtaking 75% possession in the first half, treating the Los Angeles turf like an exhibition match.
The undisputed star of the show was Monaco hitman Folarin Balogun. After having an earlier effort chalked off for offside, Balogun got his first legal goal in the 31st minute, ruthlessly slamming home a pinpoint cross from the majestic Pulisic.
But Balogun saved his absolute best for the stroke of half-time. Running onto a beautifully weighted through-ball from Malik Tillman, the red-hot striker chopped inside Paraguay captain Gustavo Gómez and lashed a devastating curler into the top left corner. 3-0, and the South Americans’ defense looked about as robust as a fart in the wind.
The evening’s only dampener was the half-time substitution of Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic, who came off nursing an injury worry.
Without their talisman, the US took their foot off the gas in the second half, allowing Paraguay substitute Maurício to pull one back in the 73rd minute after being fed by Brighton’s Julio Enciso.
But the night belonged to the hosts. Deep into stoppage time, substitute Gio Reyna provided the ultimate cinematic ending. Collecting the ball on the edge of the area, Reyna effortlessly used the outside of his right foot to curl a sublime beauty past Omar Gill into the far post.
Pochettino’s boys have arrived on the world stage, and on this evidence, they are ready for their close-up.
