The U.S. men’s national team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign. Its 4-1 defeat of Paraguay on Friday has it on top of a highly competitive Group D with a plus-3 goal differential.
That cold reality does little to illustrate just how perfect the first 90 minutes of this tournament were for Mauricio Pochettino‘s men. The Americans’ four goals are the most they’ve scored in a World Cup game. They nearly doubled up their guests in terms of possession (65% to 35%), pass attempts (598 to 319), chances created (12 to 7) and shots (16 to 9).
Throughout the press box, across the concourse and in watch parties across the country, the performance raised one question: Was this as good as the U.S. has ever looked?
To answer that question, ESPN turned to USMNT analysts Jeff Carlisle, Sam Borden and Cesar Hernandez.
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By how much did the USMNT exceed expectations vs. Paraguay?
Borden: I think it’s really important to fully contextualize what the U.S. did Friday night. Yes, Paraguay looked completely shook, especially in that first half and particularly after the own goal, but this was one of the best defenses throughout South American qualifying and a team that beat Argentina and Brazil during that cycle.
For the hosts to make Paraguay look as hapless as it did is an incredible accomplishment and a real testament not just to Pochettino’s tactics but, even more, to the players’ execution. Christian Pulisic has never looked better. Malik Tillman was a revelation. Folarin Balogun was everything the U.S. has wanted in a striker.
I thought we were going to see a gritty, ugly, grind-it-out performance from the Americans that was more slog than soccer. Instead we saw creativity, artistry and ruthless attacking — as Weston McKennie said, it was like the U.S. was “playing pickup.” That’s not generally something you think of when you think of this team. Now? It feels like a more realistic expectation. If the U.S. can even approach that level of fun again in their next few matches, it is going to captivate this country in just the way it dreamed.
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Hernandez: I wouldn’t say that the Americans massively exceeded expectations, but it was definitely significant. What helped was that the U.S. didn’t take its foot off the gas after gaining the early lead. In previous eras, the USMNT likely would have been more pragmatic with a 1-0 advantage, but that was far from the case Friday.
Many of us nitpicked the fact that Pochettino hasn’t utilized a regular best XI enough in the lead-up to the World Cup, but that completely went out the window with the immediate chemistry that was on display and the team’s impressive proactive efforts, especially in the first half. It’s too early to make any grand statements just yet, but a huge amount of credit is due to Pochettino.
Carlisle: I think the Americans vastly exceeded expectations, as evidenced by the fact that the margin of victory equaled the biggest in program history — from back in 1930! It also wasn’t so much the margin of victory but how they did it. The USMNT was on top from the opening whistle, and save for a few spells in the second half, was largely in control.
As Sam mentioned, this was accomplished against a stingy side that conceded just 10 goals in 18 matches. For the U.S. to dominate the way it did was really impressive in a way that few expected.
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Now, you have to say the finishing by the U.S. on the night was remarkable, highlighted by the fact that its xG was 1.42 and it still scored four goals. That isn’t sustainable. What is sustainable is the way the team pressed and continued to attack. That bodes well for the USMNT’s chances of making a deep tournament run.
Was this the greatest performance in USMNT history?
Borden: For me, the short answer is “yes.” I get it: Recency bias is a real thing and, at bottom, this is a group stage victory we’re talking about (and not even one that was the decisive game). These are fair knocks, particularly if you’re holding this up against a World Cup knockout game, like the win over Mexico in 2002.
In considering the performances, though, I think of it this way: The stakes of that 2002 match were higher, but the sheer beauty and comprehensiveness of Friday’s beating was far more impressive.
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The win over Mexico came through American resolve and fortitude, soaking up El Tri‘s attack and countering with incredible precision. Javier Aguirre — who is now coaching Mexico again! — made very clear that he thought Mexico should go forward and beat the U.S. that day. Bruce Arena’s team turned that impetus against their rivals.
On Friday, the U.S. needed to be the ones to go win the game. For years, this program hasn’t had the talent to seize control of that setup. This time — even against a defensive juggernaut — it absolutely did. It was the best the USMNT has been and an image of what American fans hope it will become.
Hernandez: The 2009 win over Spain in the Confederations Cup remains at the top of my list. Heading into that semifinal, Spain had a 35-game undefeated streak and was sitting at No. 1 in the FIFA rankings. That match was against legends such as Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres, just to name a few.
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Friday night should and will go down in history for the USMNT. Scoring four goals, especially against a rugged CONMEBOL side, is obviously no easy feat and should be celebrated. That said, defeating Spain in the knockout round of an official competition remains just a step above the group stage victory. However, if the U.S. continues to play at the level that we saw in the opener, we might soon see a result that surpasses the status of the 2009 win.
Carlisle: I think this depends on what your definition of “best ever” is. In terms of big wins, I think there have been bigger. The 2002 World Cup round-of-16 win over Mexico remains an all-timer just given the stakes involved and the fact that it came against the USMNT’s biggest rival. I agree with Cesar that the 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal win over Spain that snapped its 35-game unbeaten streak was bigger as well. An argument can be made that the team played better in the final of that competition when it lost 3-2 to Brazil.
That said, if you’re talking the most stylish win in USMNT history, the Paraguay match will be tough to top. The U.S. created 12 chances and completed more than 500 passes. This wasn’t aimless possession either. The USMNT was constantly attacking the Paraguay goal, with clever touches and dynamic movement. The U.S. will be hoping there is more of this to come.
