It might go down as one of the iconic moments of the 2026 World Cup.
It will certainly take something special to eclipse it as the goal of the tournament, even only three days in.
Deep into added time at Los Angeles Stadium and with virtually the last kick of the game, Gio Reyna capped a spectacular 4-1 win for the United States
against Paraguay on Friday with an exquisite finish to a wonderful team move.This was Pochettino-ball at its finest.
“This
might be one of the best back-to-front team goals this country and this team has ever put together," Fox TV analyst Stu Holden said.
It might've been even better than that.
With the clock on 96 minutes and 10 seconds, the U.S. just had to see out time and ensure a Paraguay team that had already pulled one goal back in the second half didn't spark a late rally.
Over the course of the next 70 seconds, Mauricio Pochettino's team put together a 26-pass move from left to right, through defense and attack and left Paraguay's players chasing shadows. Not one Paraguayan got a foot on the ball. Then it was over to Reyna, who went on for a cameo as an 82nd-minute substitute for the outstanding Malik Tillman.
Receiving a pass from Alexander Freeman outside the box, Reyna took one touch to control the ball and another to carry it into the area. Then, with the outside of his right boot and with a touch of curl, he swept the shot past Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill into the far corner to send the U.S. supporters wild one last time.
And they weren't the only ones going crazy. As Reyna wheeled away in celebration, hands covering his ears, he was mobbed by teammates, substitutes and even Pochettino, who raced across the field to join in the moment.
“There’s not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling,” U.S. captain Tim Ream said after the team's biggest ever World Cup win.
Such was the U.S. control of the ball that it brought back memories of what many believe to be the greatest ever team goal in the World Cup when Brazil's Carlos Alberto finished off a multi-pass move against Italy in the 1970 final.
That game also finished 4-1 and Carlos Alberto's strike, like Reyna's, came late, in the 86th minute.
A nine-pass move ended with Pele laying the ball off to Carlos Alberto, who drove a low shot into the corner.
The stakes were much higher for Brazil, but for the U.S. it was an opening statement performance against a Paraguay team that had one of the best defensive records among the South American teams during qualification. Pochettino's team already has more goals than the U.S. managed in the entire 2022 tournament where it scored just three and was eliminated at the round of 16.
“Congratulations to Team USA on their Big Win, 4-1, over a very good Paraguay team,” President Donald Trump wrote Saturday on his social media site. “Keep it going!”
The U.S. Men's National Team went big when it hired Pochettino, the former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Tottenham coach in 2024.
There was a run to the Gold Cup final last year and he has not been shy about his ambitions at the World Cup.
“Why not us?” has become something of a motto going into the tournament.
With extended time to work with the players ahead of the opening game, Pochettino believes the full potential of the team will be seen.
“When you only have few days, you know, to reunite and to play, you only select players, but you cannot coach players,” he said Friday. “Only in this type of tournament like the Gold Cup or now the World Cup, because you have preparation, two, three, four weeks, I think that is the only moment that we can coach.”
Reyna's goal was a perfect example of Pochettino's insistence of concentrating on the team over individuals.
“One thing we need to praise is the collective effort,” the coach added.
It was a triumphant return for Reyna after controversy in Qatar four years ago for alleged lack of hustle nearly got him sent home from that World Cup by then-coach Gregg Berhalter.
Pochettino made the bold call to include Reyna in his squad even though he made just four league starts last season for Borussia Mönchengladbach and none after Dec. 19.
Reyna's celebration with his hands over his ears may have been in reference to the noise that has surrounded him since the last World Cup.
Fans will debate whether this was the greatest goal by the USMNT.
In 1989 Paul Caligiuri struck a long-range volley against Trinidad and Tobago that saw the U.S. qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1950.
In 1994, the last time America hosted the tournament, Eric Wynalda's free kick against Switzerland earned the U.S. its first point in the World Cup since 1950.
There was also Benny Feilhaber's volley that won the Gold Cup in 2007.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
