Pochettino praises collective effort after USMNT cruise past Paraguay 4–1

The United States men’s national team began their FIFA World Cup 2026™ campaign with a commanding 4–1 victory over Paraguay, as head coach Mauricio Pochettino praised a “collective” team performance rather than individual brilliance after a historic night in California.

Playing in front of a packed crowd at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood, the hosts delivered one of their most emphatic World Cup opening wins in modern history, combining attacking flair with defensive resilience to secure all three points in Group D.

Despite several standout performances, Pochettino repeatedly stressed team unity in his post-match comments, refusing to highlight any single player.

“It’s not only to talk about some names, it’s about the collective,” the Argentine coach said. “The team was amazing — not only the starting eleven, but everyone on the bench as well.”

When pressed on the impact of key players such as Christian Pulisic, Pochettino acknowledged their contribution but continued to distribute praise across the squad, underscoring what he described as a shared mentality within the group.

The victory was built on a fast and dominant first-half display. The United States opened the scoring in the 7th minute when sustained pressure from Pulisic and Weston McKennie forced an own goal from Paraguay defender Damián Bobadilla.

Forward Folarin Balogun then took centre stage, doubling the lead in the 31st minute after finishing a precise cross from Pulisic before adding a second just before halftime, finishing calmly after being played through by Malik Tillman.

Paraguay briefly responded in the second half through Maurício in the 72nd minute after a defensive error, but substitute Giovanni Reyna sealed the result in stoppage time with a superb outside-of-the-boot strike in the 97th minute.

The result marks one of the United States’ most dominant World Cup performances in decades, reinforcing optimism around the squad as hosts of the expanded tournament.

Pochettino admitted the pressure of playing a home World Cup brought added expectations but praised his team’s composure.

“Hosting the World Cup brings pressure, but the way the players managed it was fantastic,” he said. “The first 45 minutes were especially strong.”

The only concern for the US came with the halftime withdrawal of Christian Pulisic, who suffered a knock to his calf. Pochettino said the substitution was precautionary and expressed hope the injury would not rule him out of upcoming fixtures.

With the win secured, the United States now turn their attention to their next Group D match against Australia on June 19, followed by a final group-stage clash against Türkiye, as they aim to maintain momentum on home soil.