IT’S STAYING HOME:
A near-perfect World Cup opener takes the USMNT into uncharted territory (Henry Bushnell, June 13, 2026, The Athletic)
It began with thunderous chants of “U-S-A” and climaxed with the best 45 minutes in U.S. men’s World Cup history.
It was seven years and 364 days in the making, and it was worth every day, hour, second of waiting.
U.S. soccer fans and players had, for years, dreamed of this moment, a glitzy World Cup opener on home soil, an unparalleled stage for their sport. They had dreamed of meeting it, of igniting America, of elevating soccer.
But no one could have realistically envisioned this — a rousing 4-1 win over Paraguay, patriotic glee on the field and in the stands, silky soccer and eruptions of noise.
“I mean, my whole life I feel like I’ve envisioned it,” U.S. defender Chris Richards said. “But tonight was way better than what I could’ve envisioned. It was surreal.”
In front of 70,492 fans at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles, it was more than a near-perfect start to this home World Cup.
It was, as Sebastian Berhalter said while recalling the victory lap to thank the fans, “what U.S. soccer should be.”