Fast Start from the USA to the Tournament! First Half Ended 3-0 in Favor of the USA

In the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group D, the USA put on a real show of strength against Paraguay in the first half and went to the locker room with a massive advantage. Shifting the entire play into the opponent's half right from the opening whistle, the American team took an early lead in the 7th minute through an own goal by Damián Bobadilla during a swift attack. Boosted by the early goal, the USA never lowered their pressure, causing difficult moments for the Paraguayan defense with effective wing play.

The first half of the match was quite literally a one-sided affair from start to finish. Establishing a massive dominance in possession with 75 percent to 25 percent, the USA kept complete control of the game while refusing to grant their opponent even a single shot on target. Just as the score was about to become 2-0, a thrilling moment took place. Folarin Balogun sent the ball into the net after a beautiful combination to score his team's second and his first goal of the match, but this play was disallowed due to an offside call by the linesman. Despite this misfortune, the star player did not give up and kept his hunger for goals alive, finally making it 2-0 in the 31st minute with a clinical finish. Stepping up once again just seconds before the halftime whistle, Balogun scored in the 45+5th minute during an organized attack to find his second and his team's third goal, wrapping up the first half at 3-0. Dominating the statistics with an overwhelming 327 to 107 passes and achieving a 93 percent passing accuracy, the USA displayed a flawless performance.