There was a time when the rest of the world treated American football fans like tourists at the World Cup.
Not anymore.
On a night that began with performances from South African superstar Tyla and Rap icon Future, Team USA put on a football show of their own, hammering Paraguay 4-1 in front of a packed home crowd.
And the moment everyone was talking about?
A stunning trivela from Giovanni Reyna.
The Borussia Dortmund playmaker produced an outrageous outside-of-the-boot finish that instantly had football fans comparing him to prime Portuguese legend Ricardo Quaresma. For years, trivelas were the kind of skill Americans watched on YouTube compilations. Now they’re scoring them at the World Cup!
America has gone from asking what offside means to producing their own version of Quaresma.
While Reyna delivered the highlight of the night, the real star was Folarin Balogun.
The striker bagged two goals to take his tournament tally to two, putting himself firmly in the early Golden Boot conversation. Every World Cup produces an unexpected top scorer contender, and Balogun is making sure his name enters that discussion early.
The fourth American goal capped off a dominant display that saw the hosts overwhelm Paraguay with pace, movement and relentless pressure.
Paraguay managed a consolation goal, but the scoreline never truly reflected the gulf between the two teams. The Americans looked faster, sharper and far more confident throughout the match.
For years, football fans joked that if the United States ever took football seriously, the rest of the world would have a problem.
Well, the USA now has world-class facilities, elite coaching, European-based stars and a generation of players raised on football rather than discovering it as a second sport.
Against Paraguay, that evolution was on full display.
