There was a moment before kick-off that captured the sheer, unhinged spectacle of the entire Fifa multiverse. A 10-year-old TikToker stood on a podium alongside Katy Perry, who was wearing a silver bustle. The crowd roared. The lights did their thing. Somewhere, Gianni Infantino was probably practising his magic tricks.
This was Los Angeles on opening night. And, as it turns out, California really does know how to put on a show.
The ball is magic, remember. Just keep watching the ball. On a lovely soft powder blue night, Mauricio Pochettino's USA delivered an opening act that felt less like a football match and more like a fever dream orchestrated by the whirling hands of Infantino himself — a Fifa president who increasingly resembles an elite celebrity stage magician, or at the very least a man who understands the power of the spectacle.
The show, not the sport
Let’s not pretend otherwise: this was a night designed for the neutral, the casual, the person who stumbled in while looking for the bathroom. The football was secondary to the pageantry, the fireworks, the sheer audacity of it all. And yet, Pochettino’s team did exactly what was required of them: they sparkled.
The USA looked fluid, confident, and — most importantly — unburdened by the weight of expectation that usually crushes hosts in these tournaments. They pressed high, moved the ball quickly, and found space in the pockets that lesser teams would have left empty. There was a looseness to their play, a willingness to take risks, that suggested Pochettino has already stamped his philosophy on this group.
It was, in many ways, the perfect opening act. Not a flawless performance — that would have been suspicious — but a convincing one. The kind that makes you believe the hype, if only for a night.
The moment that decided it
It came in the 34th minute. A sweeping move that started from a turnover in midfield, three quick passes, and then a finish that was less about power and more about precision. The ball rolled into the corner of the net with the kind of inevitability that makes you wonder why anyone bothers defending at all. The stadium erupted. Katy Perry did something dramatic. The TikToker probably posted about it.
From that moment, the game had its narrative: USA in control, the opposition chasing shadows, and the crowd enjoying a night that felt less like a football match and more like a theme park ride. Which, in a way, is exactly what the World Cup has become under Infantino’s watch.
But here’s the thing: it worked. The atmosphere was electric. The players looked like they were enjoying themselves. And for a tournament that desperately needed its hosts to start well — more so this one, given the scepticism around football in America — it could not have gone much better.
Pochettino got it right
The manager’s decisions were, for once, beyond reproach. He started the XI that most expected, but the shape was flexible, the movement intelligent. There was no overthinking, no tactical tinkering that would leave fans scratching their heads. Just a clear plan, executed with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing your players trust you.
This is not always the case with Pochettino. His PSG tenure was a masterclass in how not to manage egos. But here, with a younger, hungrier group, he looks revitalised. The USA are not yet a world-beating side, but they are a side that believes they can be. That is half the battle.
The other half? Keeping the show on the road. Because if this opening night is anything to go by, the football is only part of the story. The rest is magic, spectacle, and the occasional appearance by a pop star in a silver bustle.
Just keep watching the ball. And maybe the TikToker too.