On a ‘dreamy’ night at the World Cup, the USMNT’s biggest stars electrified the biggest stage

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Twenty-four years ago, the U.S. men’s soccer team scored three goals in the first half of a World Cup game.

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They were halfway around the world, in South Korea. It was just before 6 a.m. in Philadelphia, and only the die-hards woke up early.

On Friday, a new generation did it again. This time, it was on home turf, in the shadow of Hollywood, and the nation watched in prime time.

The 3-2 win over Portugal in 2002 marked the start of an era. Friday’s 4-1 rout of Paraguay was the greatest proof of how far things have come.

Yes, it was only one game, and these U.S. players know that better than anyone. But they also know how big this was.

It’s not an overstatement, especially for a fan base that has endured so much frustration over the last 12 years. It’s OK to savor a moment of real happiness, and the rest of the nation is welcome to join the party.

It’s especially worth saying that this team’s biggest players delivered on the biggest stage.

Christian Pulisic was dazzling, especially with his playmaking on the first two goals, before exiting at halftime as a precaution after a hit to his left calf.

Folarin Balogun again showed why he’s the striker the U.S. program craved, with clinical finishes on the second and third goals. Weston McKennie drove the play from the engine room, starting with a charge downfield to set up the first tally.

Tyler Adams was the midfield general, and Chris Richards was impeccable on the back line: 6 of 10 duels won, three clearances, and a perfect 84-of-84 passing. Gio Reyna, so long maligned, capped the night with a thunderbolt.

While the instinct at halftime was to compare this game to the Portugal one in 2002, the final whistle brought another comparison.

Just 15 months ago, many of these players left this Los Angeles-area stadium at a low point: humiliating losses to Panama and Canada in the Concacaf Nations League final four.

Richards and Adams were asked if they thought about that time as they returned to the ultramodern venue typically known as SoFi Stadium, and both said they did not. But they had no doubt about how far their program has come.

“I think you’ve seen a complete culture shift,” Richards said. There [were] a lot of question marks last March about if we have that fight, if we can do it, if we can go all the way, especially without having any real competitive games. But I think we proved it to everybody tonight.”

Adams spoke of the team’s growth “as players and individuals, but also just understanding what the manager wants, exactly how to instill that every single day, the culture of the team, bringing more players into the fold. We’ve come a very long way.”

It bears saying that Balogun missed those Nations League games because of injury. But the search for a marquee striker had gone on long before then. But it bears repeating: He has delivered.

“When I committed, and throughout the whole cycle and the whole journey to me being at this point, I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation, showed me so much support,” he said. “And for me, the most important thing has always been to be able to repay that. I feel like today’s a great opportunity, and I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”

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He called it “a dreamy night,” and speaking soon after the final whistle meant he had only started to process it.

“I’ve not been able to take it all in,” he said. “When I get back to my hotel and I rest, I’m sure I’m going to really be able to be in the moment and experience how much of an amazing night this is.”

Another contrast between last year and this one came from the stands. While the players were the best actors, the crowd of 70,492 played more than just a supporting role.

The compounded fear of seeing laid-back LA pay FIFA’s exorbitant ticket prices vanished when the national anthem singers found themselves joined by a rising chorus. There were “USA!” chants all night, real and organic, from the moments before kickoff to a key stretch late in the game when the players needed a boost after Paraguay’s goal.

Player after player said they felt it on the field.

“Walking out to that makes it feel real,” Adams said. “Seeing that support, you don’t want to let the fans down and the country down.”

Pulisic said: “it meant everything for us. A half like that, for it to go as it did, and have the fans really excited about it our performance, it felt amazing.”

Last summer, McKennie stood at the White House with his club team, Juventus, and watched President Donald Trump make that moment about something totally unrelated to his visit. This time, the Texas-born son of a retired Air Force staff sergeant could express his own form of patriotism.

“Hearing the national anthem and hearing the fans singing it, in that moment, it’s one of those things that just pushes the feeling even further,” McKennie said. “Where you’re like, ‘I’m proud to be American, this is my home, this is my country.’ And that’s something that is hard to describe — it’s something that as a player you just feel whenever you just see that.”

Medford’s Brenden Aaronson said the anthem gave him “goose bumps,” even though he was on the bench and didn’t play. Cristian Roldan, another unused substitute, called the atmosphere “beautiful.”

Even goalkeeper Matt Freese, renowned for his laser focus while on the clock, admitted to taking a moment to soak in the scene.

“I had gotten some texts from a few mentors that said, ‘Make sure you take a moment to take it in,’ because they know I otherwise I wouldn’t,” he said. “And so I did. I just looked up, and it was a breathtaking sight, I would say.”

Pochettino, an Argentine who has spent his coaching life in Europe, felt something, too.

“It was amazing for our fans to watch this type of game,” he said. “And today, I am so proud, and we are so proud, because I think we are winning a lot of fans, adding fans [of] that sport here in America.”

This was just one game, of course. But it was a big one, and not just because it was the highest-scoring U.S. men’s game in World Cup history. At the final whistle, it opened a path toward even bigger things to come.

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