Mauricio Pochettino walked off the Los Angeles pitch with the crowd still roaring, but the United States head coach wanted no part of a hero narrative, not for himself and not for any single player.

After a 4-1 dismantling of Paraguay in Group D, a result that sent a jolt through the tournament and ignited hopes of a deep run for the co-hosts, Pochettino’s message was blunt: this was about the collective.

Folarin Balogun’s ruthless brace, Gio Reyna’s late thunderbolt and an early Paraguayan own goal had lit up an electric night in Inglewood, yet Pochettino refused to elevate any one performance above the rest.

“It’s not only to talk about some names, it’s about the collective,” he told reporters. “It’s not only Balo or different players that performed. I think the team was amazing. Not only the starting 11 but all the players around and on the bench.”

When a journalist pressed him specifically on Christian Pulisic, long seen as the face of American soccer, Pochettino held the line.

“You push me to talk about names, and it’s about the team, it’s a collective performance. Of course, he was amazing,” he said, before proceeding to reel off almost the entire lineup, describing each contribution as “amazing” in turn.

The Argentine’s insistence on unity mirrors the way his side played: aggressive pressing, fluid interchanges in attack and a defensive structure that smothered Paraguay for long stretches. The goals were shared, the workload even more so.

Pochettino also reserved special praise for the crowd of around 70,000, whose noise and colour turned the Los Angeles Stadium into a cauldron.

“On behalf of the whole team, massive thank you to the fans, because the energy that they relate to the team was amazing, and we can do amazing things if the fans are in this way,” he said.

The victory leaves the United States in a commanding position in Group D, ahead of clashes with Australia and Turkey. Pochettino, though, was careful to temper the euphoria.

“We are so happy, but this is only the start,” he warned. “It’s still two games to play. We need to enjoy this start to the tournament, but know that we need to keep going and try to improve and try to do better in the next game, because all the games are very competitive.”