America rekindled faith in the World Cup dream after a strong victory over Paraguay

Mauricio Pochettino has spent the past few days instilling faith in what America can achieve in the face of skepticism. Can they win the World Cup, he is frequently asked, and his usual answer is: "Why not? We can dream." After an impressive 4-1 win over Paraguay in Los Angeles, perhaps Pochettino's task now is to manage high expectations, to calibrate America's big dreams.

The first half in particular was a perfect 45 minutes, interrupted only by an unnecessary three-minute break. One of America's nagging worries in recent years has been the lack of a sharp striker, but Monaco forward Folarin Balogun scored three goals, one of which was ruled out for offside, and the last a masterful, precise strike into the top corner of Orlando Gill's goal. This goal ended a half full of effort and spirit, but also demonstrated technical quality and intelligent movement.

Pochettino has spent much of his two years in charge testing and adjusting, trying to find the balance between attack and defense, between left and right, and here his team works smoothly. Sergino Dest was a constant threat down the right with his direct runs, while Paraguay right-back Juan Jose Caceres must have struggled to fend off Christian Pulisic on the opposite flank. Pulisic provided the creativity and assist for Balogun's first goal before being substituted in the second half. "I only got a slight kick in the first round, so I'm very hopeful that it's nothing serious," Pulisic said after the match. "I just need to be a little cautious today, but I hope I'll be fine in the next few days."

America's dependence on Pulisic has often weighed heavily on this generation's star player. His face has appeared on billboards and television commercials here. But the performances of Balogun in attack and Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie in the No. 10 role suggest this responsibility will be shared.

"It's a dream," Balogun said after his World Cup debut. "It was a dreamy night." This World Cup is not only a test of America's place in the sport, but also a test of the sport's place in the hearts of the American people. Soccer is now the fourth most popular sport in America, with more fans than ever following Major League Soccer and more children than ever playing the sport. With a World Cup at home, there will be no better opportunity for America to move closer to the pinnacle of the sport.

To be in LA these past few days has been to meet two different types of Americans. Most were only vaguely aware that the World Cup was taking place and had no idea the US team was playing in their city or which players were on the roster. They think that “Pochettino” is a type of coffee. It can feel like the World Cup has barely registered in such a vast city, like a dragonfly landing on the back of a water buffalo. But there are thousands of soccer fans if you look in the right places. USA jerseys, Mexico jerseys, Argentina jerseys, people are passionate about the sport and excited that its biggest show is on their doorstep.

"What is success?" Pochettino is often asked. Perhaps not a specific qualifying round but an emotion, a moment, a late goal that the whole country feels, even those who don't know what's going on at the moment. America's mission here is not just to win the World Cup but to take the country through an unforgettable journey, so that in years to come, the words "summer 2026" will take them back to a moment when they felt something. The mission of this lineup, a diverse collection of brothers, is to connect with the American public, and this is the perfect start.

The evening kicked off with an opening ceremony and organizers delivered all the fanfare you'd expect, with a series of musical acts led by Katy Perry and a parade of national flags reminiscent of the Olympics. Iran's flag was also among the 48 flags, although there was some humor when the event's MC called for "a round of applause for peace" before the match began. There seemed to be almost as many Paraguayan fans as there were American supporters in this amazing stadium, which had almost as many vertical red and white stripes as horizontal ones, like the world's weirdest game of "Find Wally." Like many other matches so far, there have been some empty seats, which undermines FIFA's ticketing policy, although some fans entering the stadium told The Independent they paid around $1,000 for tickets, so FIFA may not have missed out on a few empty seats.

Donald Trump did not attend but Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Hilary Duff and Vince Vaughn were among the famous faces broadcast on the giant screen with their names captioned below, as usual here. What they witnessed was the most outstanding performance of the tournament so far. Pulisic danced into the box before drawing a mistake from Bobadilla for America's first goal, and Pulisic was involved again as he ran into space on the left before passing the ball for Balogun to finish sharply. Balogun's second goal was even more impressive, as he beat a defender before pausing briefly and firing a shot into the top corner. Paraguay pulled short in the second half through substitute Mauricio, but the United States showed their strength in reserve when Gio Reyna came on and scored with a curling shot past Gill to seal the three points. "Poch said many times, why not us?" Balogun added. "We have to believe. You can't do anything if you don't believe in yourself." When the final whistle blew, no one doubted it anymore.