Inglewood, Calif. — The United States Men's Soccer Team was on fire Friday night.
Santa Barbara's own Katy Perry helped kick off the United States' World Cup opener with a pregame performance, and the match itself quickly turned into a celebration.
An early own goal by visiting Paraguay eased the angst of the SoFi Stadium crowd and, more importantly, the United States players as they routed Paraguay 4-1.
"If I need to press today one thing, it is that not only, of course, the principal actor, but the fans were amazing," said United States men’s soccer head coach Mauricio Pochettino. "On behalf of the whole team, a massive thank you to the fans because the energy that they gave to the team was amazing."
In the past, U.S. soccer was defined by close contests at the World Cup, but the debut of the Pochettino era delivered on the promise of attacking flair against Paraguay as the host nation scored the most goals in United States World Cup history.
Folarin Balogun emerged as a prolific goal-scoring threat on the international stage with a brace in his first World Cup match. His second goal came in spectacular fashion and delighted the home fans as he sidestepped a defender before delivering a left-footed shot into the side netting.
Giovanni Reyna punctuated the victory with a goal deep into stoppage time that served as a last-minute gift for the home crowd.
The superb finish with the outside of his right foot sailed past diving Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill and was a thing of beauty. A hands-to-ears celebration followed for Reyna, who had no shortage of detractors following a tumultuous 2022 World Cup.
Only time will tell if this victory—years in the making—is the catalyst for an American soccer renaissance.