Inglewood, California. Little Elm native Weston McKennie was at the center of the United States men's national team's 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at SoFi Stadium on Friday night. McKennie assisted on the opening goal in the seventh minute, the play that set the tone for the largest United States World Cup victory by margin since 1930, according to ESPN. Forward Folarin Balogun followed with two first half goals, and Gio Reyna added a stoppage time fourth.
Final score and statline
United States 4, Paraguay 1. The Americans opened their home World Cup at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California in front of 70,492 spectators, according to Yahoo Sports. The three goal margin of victory matched the largest in a single United States World Cup match all time, equaling the team's 3-0 victory over Belgium in 1930, ESPN reported. Folarin Balogun became the first American to score twice in a World Cup match since Bert Patenaude at the same 1930 tournament.
Christian Pulisic registered two assists before being substituted in the second half. Midfielder Weston McKennie was credited with the assist on the opening Paraguay own goal. Substitute Gio Reyna added a stoppage time fourth in the 98th minute with an outside-of-the-boot finish, according to The Guardian. Paraguay's lone reply came from Maurício in the 73rd minute.
From Little Elm to the World Cup stage
Friday's goal sequence at SoFi Stadium drew a direct line back to Little Elm. Weston McKennie, who grew up in the town before signing with FC Dallas Academy, was at the center of the play that broke Paraguay open in the seventh minute. Pulisic carried the ball past two defenders on the left before slipping it into the box for McKennie, whose cross across the area was deflected into the net by Paraguay's Damián Bobadilla. The goal was officially recorded as an own goal, the Los Angeles Times reported, but the build-up was an American sequence powered by a Little Elm midfielder.
McKennie's path to a World Cup start traces back to a family move and a coach's gym. FOX 4 News reported that the McKennie family lived in Germany during the 2006 World Cup. After returning to the United States, his family searched for a coach in North Texas and connected with Alphonse "Al" Ngon, who became formative in his early development. Under Ngon's instruction, McKennie drew the attention of the FC Dallas Academy. Academy coach Jesse Suarez told FOX 4 News, "Everyone in North Texas kept telling me, you know, to see this kid."
Tina McKennie pinpoints the precise moment her son's ambition crystallized. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, McKennie met United States star Landon Donovan, who signed his cleats. "Mom, I want to play on that team one day," McKennie told her, the FOX 4 report said. "And I said, you will," his mother said.
The road was not linear. McKennie was left off the United States under 17 World Cup roster in 2015 and sent home from Florida, FOX 4 News reported. "I saw a kid that was broken," his mother said. "He wasn't acting like himself." Suarez recounted McKennie returning to the FC Dallas Academy fields and asking to stay after practice to keep kicking. "Just kicking the ball into the wall. That would go on for hours," Suarez told FOX 4 News.
By Friday night, the kid from Little Elm was setting up the opening goal at the home World Cup. Ngon, his early coach, summed up what the moment meant to those who watched him grow up. "This is like a dream come true. I believe in him a lot," Ngon told FOX 4 News.
How it unfolded
The United States pressed from the opening whistle and broke through in the seventh minute. Pulisic collected the ball on the left, slipped past two Paraguay defenders and slid a pass into the box for McKennie. McKennie's cut back across the area was deflected into the net by Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla, who had stepped in front of Balogun. The goal was officially recorded as a Bobadilla own goal, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Balogun struck twice before halftime. The first came in the 31st minute, with Pulisic again the creator. The second arrived in the fifth minute of first half stoppage time, when Balogun finished into the top corner from the edge of the box, sending the United States into the break with a 3-0 lead. ESPN described the opening 45 minutes as rivaling the best half in the history of the United States men's program.
Paraguay improved after the interval and pulled a goal back through Maurício in the 73rd minute, according to The Guardian. The Americans absorbed the response and pushed for a fourth as fresh legs came on. Reyna delivered it in the eighth minute of second half stoppage time, curling a shot with the outside of his right boot to settle the result at 4-1.
