The World Cup got off to a thrilling start for the United States Men's National Team, as they scored early and often against Paraguay in a 4-1 victory, led by a sensational two-goal performance from Folarin Balogun.

It was the first match of the USMNT's Group D schedule, and provided a significant boost in momentum for the team in front of over 70,000 fans at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers.

Balogun had the first official goal by a USMNT player, since the team's first was an own goal, courtesy of a Paraguay mishap. However, Balogun found the net not long after, with an assist from teammate Christian Pulisic, extending the lead to 2-0. He'd add his second goal during extra time before the teams took a halftime break.

In the final moments of the game's seven-plus minutes of extra time, substitute Giovanni Reyna scored to make it a 4-1 lead. That gave the USMNT important extra goals as they took the early lead in their group.

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Among the celebrities attending the massive opening game were international football legend David Beckham, actor Tom Cruise, NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and filmmaker George Lucas. Katy Perry performed a pre-match song with young singer Tius Luka before taking a seat to enjoy the USMNT's performance.

Many more fans rooted for the United States from afar, including American football star Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. The three-time Super Bowl winner simply tweeted three American flag emojis in recognition of his country's performance.

He also shared ESPN's post on X with the caption "AURA" and a photo of USMNT players celebrating their opening match performance in Los Angeles.

The United States is among the three nations hosting matches in this year's FIFA World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada. While Mexico opened in their first match with a 2-0 win over South Africa, Canada settled for a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In addition to Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium hosting last night's game, there will be games at additional NFL stadiums, including Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, home of Mahomes' Chiefs. It would likely provide the USMNT a boost to have Mahomes rooting for them, and there's always the potential for his teammate, Travis Kelce, and other celebs to attend the game.

While both players suit up for NFL games, they also enjoy other sports, sometimes appearing at the NBA Playoffs, as Kelce did last month with his fiancée, Taylor Swift.

Australia and Turkey will play in Group C's next match tonight at midnight, while the USMNT has a week of rest and recovery before they play Australia on Friday, June 19.

Read more: Canadians Boo USA Flag at World Cup Opening Ceremony in Toronto

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