World Cup: Christian Pulisic overtakes Cristiano Ronaldo in assists as USA beats Paraguay

American Christian Pulisic (10) dribbles past Paraguay’s Juan Jose Caceres. (AP photo) Christian Pulisic’s impact on the United States’ dream start to the 2026 World Cup went beyond the score on Friday night as the captain eclipsed Cristiano Ronaldo in one of the tournament’s most important statistical categories.The 27-year-old notched his third World Cup assist of his career during the United States’ emphatic 4-1 victory over Paraguay in Los Angeles, moving ahead of Ronaldo’s tally of two despite playing significantly fewer games.In fact, since the start of the tournament in 2022, no player in the world has created more World Cup goals than Pulisic. His three assists are level with Lionel Messi and Harry Kane, no one has registered more in the last two seasons.Pulisic’s final contribution came in the 31st minute when his perfectly balanced delivery found Folarin Balogun who made no mistake to double the visitors’ lead. The assist further underscored the AC Milan star’s importance to Mauricio Pochettino and sparked excitement among American fans dreaming of a deep experience on home soil.

Pulisic pulls the strings before a precautionary exit

Playing in front of a crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium, Pulisic was at the heart of almost every dangerous American attack in the first half.His brilliant run and pass to Weston McKennie forced Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla into an own goal in the seventh minute before setting up Balogun for the second. Balogun struck again in first-half stoppage time to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.However, Pulisic’s night was over after just 45 minutes. The American captain was taken down at halftime after a kick to the left calf.“We didn’t want to take any chances,” head coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game.According to The Athletic , the Argentina manager revealed that Pulisic began to feel tightness after the challenge, prompting the United States to replace him with Sebastian Berhalter as a precaution.Pulisic later allayed concerns about his condition.“Staying positive. I think it’s nothing,” said the winger.

Balogun shines as Reyna adds the finishing touches

While Pulisic orchestrated the attack, Balogun stole the headlines with a historic brace, becoming the first American since 1930 to score twice in a World Cup match.Maurício Magalhães briefly gave Paraguay hope in the second half, but the visitors never threatened a comeback.Gio Reyna then capped a memorable night in stoppage time with a superb strike into the top corner as the United States recorded their first ever four-goal performance at the World Cup and established themselves as real contenders on home soil.