USA vs Paraguay Sees Swift Security Response After Fan Tries To Invade Pitch
The United States men's national team came to play on Wednesday night and made sure everyone inside Los Angeles Stadium knew it early.
Mauricio Pochettino's side ran out a commanding 4-1 win over Paraguay in their opening World Cup match, a result that made history and had the crowd on its feet from start to finish.
And what a crowd it was. Tom Cruise, David Beckham, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sofia Vergara, Jamie Foxx, and Jason Sudeikis [Ted Lasso] were among the celebrity names in attendance. Katy Perry handled the opening ceremony, and then the USMNT went out and took care of business.
Pitch Invader Stopped Cold at Los Angeles Stadium
The night did have one unusual moment. Late in the game, a fan in a black t-shirt with what appeared to be an Instagram handle printed on it tried to jump from the stands onto the field.
He waited several seconds looking for an opening and then jumped straight into the middle of the security team. They had him down in an instant. It was over before it started.
A fan tried running onto the field at the USA vs Paruguay match but instantly got tackled by security pic.twitter.com/MieP44HcQM
— clip (@clippedszn) June 13, 2026
Back to the soccer, because the Americans gave their fans plenty to celebrate. Christian Pulisic got things going in just the seventh minute, weaving between two Paraguay defenders before finding Weston McKennie.
His cross deflected off Paraguay's Damian Bobadilla and into the net for an own goal though Pulisic was the one who made it happen.
USMNT Make World Cup History With Four-Goal Night
The lead doubled in the 31st minute when Pulisic slipped a pass through to Folarin Balogun, who finished calmly into the bottom corner. Balogun wasn't done. He struck again in first-half stoppage time, bringing down Malik Tillman's pass before cutting inside and firing into the top corner. The U.S. went into halftime up 3-0.
Paraguay got one back through Mauricio in the 73rd minute, and Pulisic sat out the second half as a precaution after picking up a minor calf issue. But Gio Reyna came off the bench and had the final word, curling home a superb trivela in stoppage time to complete the 4-1 scoreline.
It was the first time the U.S. men's national team had ever scored four goals in a World Cup match. A night to remember in Los Angeles.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2026 at 6:47 AM.