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The United States Men’s National Team stunned Paraguay with a dominant effort en route to a 4-1 victory during the two teams’ World Cup opener on Friday and the big win has ESPN’s Pat McAfee thinking big.
The Americans controlled the game against the Paraguayans from the opening kick-off, with Folarin Balogun netting a couple of goals, while Gio Reyna added one to seal the deal. Balogun’s multi-goal effort was the first for a USMNT player in 96 years. The last USMNT player to pull off the feat was Bert Patenaude, who did so during the 1930 World Cup.
“THE USA IS GONNA WIN THE WORLD CUP,” posted McAfee to X during the match.
McAfee was in attendance in Los Angeles, along with a large group of celebrities who took in the World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium.
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Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
While the media personality’s prediction may seem a bit bold, it just goes to show how well the Americans played on Friday to begin the 2026 World Cup with a victory. However, if the USMNT were to fulfill McAfee’s prediction, it would be unprecedented, as the USA has never won a World Cup in 11 previous appearances. In fact, the American men have only won one knockout round game in their history, doing so against Mexico with a 2-0 victory in 2002.
The USMNT will now look ahead to a matchup with Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m., when they will continue their way through the group stage. Along with Paraguay and Australia, Group D includes the Americans and Türkiye. It’s considered one of the weaker groups in the 2026 World Cup, which should present the USMNT to advance to the knockout stage for the second straight tournament. Australia will take on Türkiye on Sunday at 12 a.m. ET.
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The Americans controlled the game against the Paraguayans from the opening kick-off, with Folarin Balogun netting a couple of goals, while Gio Reyna added one to seal the deal. Balogun’s multi-goal effort was the first for a USMNT player in 96 years. The last USMNT player to pull off the feat was Bert Patenaude, who did so during the 1930 World Cup.
“THE USA IS GONNA WIN THE WORLD CUP,” posted McAfee to X during the match.
McAfee was in attendance in Los Angeles, along with a large group of celebrities who took in the World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium.
More news: Knicks Locked in on World Cup Hours Before Game 5 Matchup With Spurs
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Folarin Balogun #20 of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
While the media personality’s prediction may seem a bit bold, it just goes to show how well the Americans played on Friday to begin the 2026 World Cup with a victory. However, if the USMNT were to fulfill McAfee’s prediction, it would be unprecedented, as the USA has never won a World Cup in 11 previous appearances. In fact, the American men have only won one knockout round game in their history, doing so against Mexico with a 2-0 victory in 2002.
The USMNT will now look ahead to a matchup with Australia on June 19 at 3 p.m., when they will continue their way through the group stage. Along with Paraguay and Australia, Group D includes the Americans and Türkiye. It’s considered one of the weaker groups in the 2026 World Cup, which should present the USMNT to advance to the knockout stage for the second straight tournament. Australia will take on Türkiye on Sunday at 12 a.m. ET.
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