BARTLESVILLE WATCH PARTY CELEBRATES HISTORIC U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM WORLD CUP VICTORY
Soccer fans gather at Bartlesville High School’s Custer Stadium to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team during a World Cup watch party on the stadium Jumbotron last Friday.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings
Soccer fans gather at Bartlesville High School’s Custer Stadium to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team during a World Cup watch party on the stadium Jumbotron last Friday. The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings
Soccer fans gather at Bartlesville High School’s Custer Stadium to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team during a World Cup watch party on the stadium Jumbotron last Friday. The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings
By Becky Burch
June 15, 2026
BARTLESVILLE AREA SPORTS REPORT
More than 400 soccer fans, from kids to grandparents, watched the United States Men’s National Team defeat Paraguay 4-1 in a World Cup soccer match on Custer Stadium’s Jumbotron in Bartlesville last Friday.
“It felt like one big family reunion for the soccer community,” said Andrea Bastings. “We caught up with old friends, met new ones, and celebrated the game we all love.”
Food trucks stayed busy while the field and bleachers were filled with spectators cheering on the U.S. team, Bastings said. On one half of the field, kids were playing their own soccer game.
“I’m sure they were dreaming of their turn to be out there someday,” Bastings said. “It was more than just a match — it was a community event that brought everyone together.”
________
United States 4, Paraguay 1
Folarin Balogun scored twice in the first half to power the U.S. Men’s National Team to a historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup.
The win before 70,492 fans at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) marked the most goals the United States has ever scored in a single World Cup match.
The Americans took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute when an early attack forced Paraguay midfielder Damián Bobadilla to turn the ball into his own net.
Balogun then took control of the match, slotting a low shot into the bottom corner in the 31st minute off a pass from Christian Pulisic. He added his second goal deep into first-half stoppage time, fighting off a tackle to fire a strike into the upper corner for a 3-0 halftime lead.
Paraguay pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute when Maurício capitalized on a loose ball in the penalty box.
Second-half substitute Gio Reyna sealed the win in the eighth minute of stoppage time, getting a shot past the Paraguayan goalkeeper with the outside of his right foot.
The United States next plays Friday against Australia in its second Group D match in Seattle at 2 p.m. Central Time.
The Jumbotron at Bartlesville High School shows the U.S. Men’s National Team playing during a World Cup watch party at Custer Stadium last Friday. The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings
Soccer fans gather at Bartlesville High School’s Custer Stadium to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team during a World Cup watch party on the stadium Jumbotron last Friday. The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings
Soccer fans gather at Bartlesville High School’s Custer Stadium to cheer on the U.S. Men’s National Team during a World Cup watch party on the stadium Jumbotron last Friday. The U.S. defeated Paraguay 4-1.
Photo courtesy of Andrea Bastings