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It’s been said that, ‘It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.’ But that isn’t completely accurate. Sometimes, the manner in which you start can have a direct impact on how you finish.
And in the one-in-a-million chance that the United States are still alive in the World Cup on July 19, competing in East Rutherford, New Jersey in the final, they’ll look back on Friday’s performance as the catalyst that jumpstarted their epic journey.
Because they didn’t just beat Paraguay in Los Angeles – they dominated them from start to finish, forcing them into submission and dictating the flow of proceedings on their own terms.
“We sent a message to the other teams that are participating in this tournament, and also the other teams in this group,” stated USMNT fullback Sergino Dest to FourFourTwo.
“It was really important to win the first game, but also the dominant way that we did it… it was amazing.”
The USMNT started as they meant to continue, pulling them apart with their well-worked passing and carving out chances at will. Christian Pulisic kicked things off by splitting two defenders and feeding Weston McKennie, who intended to cross it to Folarin Balogun, only for his pass to deflect off Damián Bobadilla and find its way into the back of the net.
From that point on, there was never a question that the USMNT were going to win. The only question was – how many goals would they end up scoring?
“It was massive. We wanted to show that we’re not just here to be a part of this tournament, we’re here to try to win the whole thing,” stated USMNT left back Antonee Robinson to FourFourTwo.
“With a performance like that – we’ve got to go and do it again against two more tough teams – but it shows that we’re a high-level team and we can be competitive against anyone.”
“I’ve said it before the tournament, it’s not just because we won tonight, but you only turn up to a tournament trying to win. A real success would be winning the tournament. How that looks in getting there, we’re going to see. We don’t know who we’re going to play, we’ve just got to get out of the group first and try to win the next two games and see where we go from there.
"But I’m not really looking at it like it would be a success to get to the Round of 16, or quarters, or semis. Why limit yourself? We want to win, we want to go the whole way.”
The USA entered the pitch with a disparate group of players like Balogun and Robinson, who grew up in England, and Dest, who grew up in the Netherlands, and Malik Tillman, who grew up in Germany.
But most importantly, they did so with a brotherhood. It didn’t matter if they were raised in Europe or the United States. It didn’t matter if they were on the bench or in the starting XI. These players were fully committed to executing the common goal: leaving Inglewood with three points.
In contrast to the immature, unpolished team that competed in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, these players weren’t hindered by a fear of losing. Instead, they played the game on their own terms, pushing numbers forward and swallowing up Paraguay with an asphyxiating press.
This would result in arguably the greatest half that the US have ever played in a World Cup, with Balogun doubling the lead before stretching the advantage to three with a thunderbolt at the interval. The naivete and friction that plagued them in Qatar was no longer: for 90 minutes, this team looked like a group of soldiers ready to ride into battle and carry out the mission.
“We can talk about a lot of the field stuff, but this team has gelled together so well,” stated USMNT winger Timothy Weah to FourFourTwo. “I know my brothers just like I know my mom and dad, and I love these guys. I’ve been with the national team for almost 10 years now, so getting in with everyone has been amazing.
“We’re a big family now, we’re all brothers, and we know each other like the back of our hands. In the preparation for this World Cup, we had some bumps in the road and some things that we had to fix.
“But I think we’re getting to that spot where it’s looking really nice. I’m super proud of what the team did today, and I’m super proud of Pochettino because it’s not easy coming in and you have to rebuild. It took time, but we looked super good. I’m super excited.”
Even with Pulisic making way for Sebastina Berhalter at halftime, the USMNT didn’t miss a beat and continued to force the issue. And whilst halftime substitute Maurício was able to halve the deficit in the 73rd minute, there wasn’t a single USA fan who fretted about letting their lead slip up.
Instead, the co-hosts continued to bombard La Albirroja with their incessant attacking onslaught, eventually restoring their three-goal deficit in the final second as Giovanni Reyna chiseled a sensational trivela finish into the back of the net to secure a 4-1 win. Paraguay, who had conceded 2+ goals in just one of their 12 World Cup qualifiers under Gustavo Alfaro, had been torn asunder. The USA, meanwhile, stamped their credentials as a genuine dark horse, planting the seeds for what could end up being a magical summer.
“Mauricio [Pochettino] said it perfectly: what a result, but more importantly, what a performance,” stated USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese to FourFourTwo. “The performance was there, and it’s one that we can build on.”
The USA will head to Seattle to face Australia before heading back to LA to take on Turkey, whilst Paraguay will head to Santa Clara to meet Turkey and Australia in their next two group stage matches.
