INGLEWOOD, Calif. — It took seven minutes for trepidation to yield to hope.Seven floors up, on the press level at Los Angeles Stadium, the box shook. You could feel it, the emotions of an announced crowd of 70,492 making concrete and steel jiggle. The Paraguay midfielder had just turned a cross into his own net, delivering the first goal of the United States’ first game as co-host of the 2026 World Cup. The ensuing frenzy was a mixture of excitement and release. All that tension from the past year — over visas and tight borders, over ticket prices and empty hotel rooms, over concerns that this historically middling squad would disappoint again — broke in seven minutes of play.It felt good. It felt right. It felt like, well, a show. A squad that once went 40 years between World Cup appearances dominated with a kind of flair the Americans hadn’t shown before.By the time Friday night ended, the U.S. had pocketed a 4-1 victory over Paraguay, putting the team in a strong position to advance out of the group stage in the expanded field of 48. Vibes were expected for the opener of the first men’s World Cup on American soil since 1994. But it felt more consequential than a start, not just for the soccer team but a country that needs a healthy supply of mojo to quell its incessant social and political division.The U.S. team did more than control a game against a Paraguayan opponent that FIFA ranks No. 42 in the world. With the attacking, athletic, skillful way the players performed, they made a small statement to the world. They forced skeptics to at least consider whether this team, under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, has the taste buds to enjoy some home cooking.To the delight of a giddy crowd, Fox analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović raved: “My message to the American people is, if you didn’t believe before the game, that performance in the first half — start believing.”He added: “This American team can do something big.”It was the most emphatic showing in modern American men’s soccer history. The U.S. had never scored four goals in a World Cup game. It hadn’t won by a three-goal margin since the inaugural tournament 96 years ago.“They dominated tactically, technically and physically as well,” Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said.