USA produces greatest-ever World Cup performance as Folarin Balogun puts Paraguay to the sword - after Donald Trump decided NOT to attend

There has been a lot of discussion over recent days about American borders and who this country decides to let in and out. But one thing became clear at SoFi Stadium on Thursday night: no one will be protesting the decision, made nearly 25 years ago, to prevent one pregnant woman from flying back to the UK.

Back in the summer of 2001, Folarin Balogun’s mother came to visit her sister Stateside. She had a return ticket but was deemed too pregnant to board the plane. So Balogun was born in the Big Apple before growing up in London. 

That judgement, that twist of fate, made him eligible to represent the United States and opened the door to nights like this.

What a story. What a performance. What a shame the president decided not to come and see it. On his World Cup debut against Paraguay, Balogun scored twice as the United States lit the fuse with a stunning 4-1 win in Los Angeles. This country, this team has not seen many nights like this.

The Monaco striker, 24, thought long and hard before pulling on this jersey for the first time - three years ago, almost to the day. Now, after all that agonizing and all the off-field chaos that preceded this World Cup, Balogun is the hero of a team that represents the best of America.

Mauricio Pochettino’s roster is pulled from 12 different states, while Balogun is among several players with roots beyond these shores. But here, they came together to give the USMNT lift off in this home World Cup.

With this 4-1 win, sealed with Gio Reyna's stunning fourth, the USA took a huge step towards the knockout stages and a giant sigh of relief. Paraguay, who reached the last eight of the 2010 World Cup, were expected to be a tricky first test. 

The last time these two teams met, it ended in a mass brawl. This was a one-sided beatdown led by Balogun and by Christian Pulisic, who terrorized the Paraguay backline before going off at halftime. If he is hurt, that would represent a serious blot on this win.

Trump decided not to come – with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his place – but maybe after seeing his side take control of Group D, he will turn up for games against Australia and Turkey. By the time Balogun stole the show on Thursday night, the US led 1-0 thanks to an own goal by Damian Bobadilla.

It was not how they would have drawn it up in the boardrooms or on the training field – after 32 years of waiting and eight years of planning, the first USA goal of another home World Cup scored by the outstretched leg of a midfielder from the barrios of Asuncion in front of pockets of empty seats and several deserted suites. 

But who cares? FIFA still announced a full house and the USMNT took flight. Not even Mauricio’s second-half consolation could spoil this star-studded party. Reyna ensured it ended with a bang after curling home with the outside of his boot.

Pochettino had warned his players on the eve of this opening game that the time for motivational speeches had passed. He had said enough - and if they still weren’t ready? It was too late. Instead, Pochettino left it up to the president.

Trump dialed in on Thursday night and backed this squad to make history. ‘I think you have a really good chance of going all the way,’ he told them. No pressure then. No matter that the US hasn’t been past the quarterfinals since 1930. This has been christened America’s golden generation and its fate has always hinged on these next few weeks. All Pulisic and Co have to do is transform soccer in this country and try and win the World Cup.

Fans here have been waiting 32 years for another summer like 1994. They had paid enough to be here, too. So who can blame them for turning up early? Lines snaked around the outer perimeter of SoFi Stadium long before the gates opened.

That meant the atmosphere had begun to fizz with more than four hours until kickoff. Once they stampeded inside this $5.5billion playground, they had little choice but to drink and sing and stoke the fire.

They were joined by a stream of big names who filled the suites that swing around the stands here.

Among them? Halle Berry, Paris Hilton, Tom Cruise, David Beckham and Andrew Giuliani, the head of Trump’s World Cup Task Force, who has been forced to defend so much of the chaos of recent months: the eye-watering ticket prices and the decision to keep out some team officials and even a referee.

The build-up to this game alone has been pockmarked by threats of strikes from stadium workers and on Friday afternoon, Giuliani looked out at pockets of empty seats and walked the same corridors as staff wearing a buttons that read: ‘Kick Ice Out!’

There was no sign of immigration agents outside SoFi, just the DEA hordes of fans including thousands supporting Paraguay. As kickoff approached, this didn’t feel like much of a home game for the US. Instead, it was the Paraguay fans who made most of the noise either side of the pyrotechnics and performances by Katy Perry and Co.

Just moments before the players stepped on to the field, however, it was time for that familiar three-letter refrain – U.S.A. – that will follow Pochettino’s team wherever they go this summer, however long they last at this World Cup. So much will depend on Pulisic and McKennie and they combined to unlock Paraguay for the early opener.

First, McKennie skipped away from a couple of Paraguay players with some neat feet before finding Pulisic outside the box. He slipped in between two defenders before returning the ball to McKennie, whose square ball was heading towards Balogun until Bobadilla stuck out his leg.

The US lead could – and really should – have been bigger by the half-hour mark. But Sergino Dest squandered a brilliant chance before Balogun put the ball in the net, only to be flagged offside. For Paraguay, it was only a brief reprieve.

A couple of minutes later, Antonee Robinson fed Pulisic in behind. His low cross reached Balogun and, moments later, the US bench had emptied in celebration.

Those same substitutes were streaming back down the touchline shortly before halftime, after Balogun latched onto another through ball and shook off another defender before curling a left-foot shot into the top corner.

That prompted Pochettino to pull Pulisic off at the break. His absence dented the USA as an attacking force. Then Mauricio fired past Matt Freese, picked ahead of Matt Turner, to give Paraguay hope. But that proved only a small blip on a glorious night.