U.S. Opens World Cup at Home With 4-1 Win Over Paraguay

The roar was deafening as 70,492 fans turned SoFi Stadium into a patriotic spectacle, witnessing the U.S. soccer team defeat Paraguay 4-1 in their World Cup opener on home soil. For a sport long overshadowed by football, basketball, and baseball in America, Friday night felt like a cultural shift.

Folarin Balogun, a 24-year-old striker born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents, scored twice to lead the Americans to victory. He became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930, when Bert Patenaude scored the first hat trick in World Cup history against the same opponent.

The crowd dressed the part. Fans wore Stars-and-Stripes high-tops, Uncle Sam costumes, George Washington outfits, and glittering face paint as they cheered every play.

Nakisha Gutierrez, a 37-year-old occupational therapist from Los Angeles, came with her family wearing sparkling red and blue stars on her cheeks. Her Argentine father raised her on soccer, and now the next generation is playing too.

"It's in the family blood," she said. "It is the American culture. It's starting to be."

The Cupit family traveled from Franklin, Tennessee, with 14-year-old Ava dressed as the Statue of Liberty. Her great-grandfather from Spain built soccer fields in their small town and helped spread love for the sport through their entire family.

Jose Contreras flew from Georgia just to be there, calling it "one of the happiest days of my life." He grew up playing soccer with his uncle in Mexico because it was cheap and accessible.

The Ripple Effect

Soccer's rise in America tells a bigger story about how the country is changing. Major League Soccer launched in 1996, two years after the U.S. last hosted the World Cup, and the sport has exploded among young athletes.

Immigrants from countries where soccer is life have brought their passion with them, creating new traditions and converting their neighbors. Now their children are teaching the sport to classmates, building youth leagues, and filling stadiums with authentic World Cup energy.

Hector Garcia, attending his sixth World Cup at age 63, believes this U.S. team is the strongest yet. He's watched American players face hostile crowds abroad, but Friday night was different.

"This is World Cup atmosphere," he said, "and I think this is really going to lift their spirits."

The victory gives the U.S. a strong start in Group D play, with Christian Pulisic assisting on one of Balogun's goals to tie for fourth most assists in U.S. history. The team took a 1-0 lead on an own goal before Balogun added two more, including a stunning upper-left corner shot just before halftime.

For decades, Americans watched the World Cup as curious outsiders while much of the world celebrated with street parties and national holidays. This summer, they're finally part of the global conversation, dressed in their finest patriotic gear and roaring like they've been doing it forever.