The United States men’s national team ran out 4-1 winners in a historic World Cup win over Paraguay to kick off Group D action Friday night.

The Los Angeles crowd was treated to a sublime showing from Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who were dominant from the very first whistle against a typically strong Paraguay team that impressed massively in World Cup qualifying in South America.

It was a nearly perfect start to a World Cup on home soil for the U.S., and they will look to build on that performance as the tournament rolls on. But first, let’s pick out three things we learned from a memorable night in Southern California Friday evening.

There was one standout trait that defined the United States’ performance against Paraguay in Los Angeles: intensity. In the first half the U.S. looked to be playing with an extra man as Paraguay struggled mightily to make any headway with the ball at their feet.

Turnovers high up the pitch and quick, direct play from the U.S. attackers caused the visitors from South America plenty of trouble. In essence it was the Mauricio Pochettino game-plan deployed to a tee. At times, the game looked to be an attack vs defense training session in the Paraguay half of the pitch.

The structure of Pochettino’s press has been a talking point throughout his tenure in the USMNT job, but against Paraguay it was spot on and relentless. After 45 minutes, the United States’ opponents had touched the ball in the U.S. box only twice. They were essentially pressed out of the game.

Having the backing of nearly 70,000 fans will surely give some extra gas when it comes to keeping up the intensity in potentially muggy conditions, but that is exactly the kind of wave the United States will need to ride in this tournament to find success. Make hay while the sun shines this summer.

It was a night of nights for Moncao striker Folarin Balogun. He was rewarded with the starting center-forward role after some quality performances in friendlies leading up to the tournament, and he showed his thanks to Pochettino with a superb, two-goal game to kick off the tournament.

It was the first multi-goal game by a U.S. player at the World Cup since 1930, and truthfully, he could have scored one or two more before all was said and done.

Balogun’s ability to play off the shoulder of the opposition defenders and time his runs in behind to perfection provides the perfect spearhead for the U.S. as they look to hit teams with pace and power when they create turnovers in dangerous areas.

Sprinkle in the most important trait a center-forward can have, quality finishing touch in front of goal, and you have the perfect man to lead the line for Mauricio Pochettino.

We know the United States will be looking to replicate that performance as the tournament rolls on, but much of that will ride on Balogun staying hot. As far as World Cup openers go, however, you can’t ask for much more from your striker.

For generations, the United States has produced some noteworthy top-end talent at the national team level. Be it Brian McBride, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, or others who have made a name for themselves in the global game, depth has always been an issue.

The drop-off from players 1-11 in the squad to players 13-22 has always been sizable. However, against Paraguay Friday night, Mauricio Pochettino’s side proved to be deeper than perhaps expected as a handful of subs came off the bench to make an impact.

While already leading the match, Timothy Weah, Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, and Sebastian Berhalter all featured in the second half, and with no drop in intensity apart from the natural fizzling out of the match.

What’s more, Reyna reminded us all of his superb quality with a trivela finish to cap off the night deep into stoppage time. Reyna was once picked out as the potential star of this generation, but super-sub could just be the perfect role for him going forward.

While those four made their mark on the match, the likes of Alex Zendejas, Brendan Aaronson, and Haji Wright are all notable U.S. players that play at a high level in club soccer and did not feature in this match.

Pochettino not only has quality to come off the bench and make an impact, but he has players that can change the dynamic of a game and give the U.S. a potentially new arsenal of threats. No like for likes here!