Christian Pulisic assisted on the USMNT's second goal scored by Folarin Balogun in the first half against Paraguay. The US led 3-0 at halftime and went on to win 4-1 in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener on home soil, scoring four World Cup goals for the first time in the U.S. [1, 2, 3].
Pulisic was substituted at halftime for Sebastian Berhalter as a precaution after taking a kick to the calf and back and feeling tightness. He communicated to friends and family that he was "good" or "OK" when leaving the pitch at halftime. Pulisic said, "I just got a bit of a kick in the first half, so I'm really hoping that it's nothing. Taking a little bit of precaution today, but I'm hoping I'll be fine the next few days" [2, 3].
Pulisic, a key USMNT player who missed a match last month due to a lower back issue and rested during last summer’s Gold Cup, was noticeably absent in the second half [3].
Folarin Balogun scored twice, becoming the first US player to score multiple World Cup goals since 1930 [1]. Defender Chris Richards completed all 83 of his passes during the match with perfect accuracy [2].
The USMNT will next face Australia in Seattle on June 19, followed by Türkiye at SoFi Stadium on June 25 [1, 2].
