Folarin Balogun has delivered on his promise with the USMNT, and now a long-awaited World Cup is here
Three years ago, he was recruited to the U.S. program with all the pomp of a five-star high school quarterback. Now he has cemented himself as the Americans' top striker.
IRVINE, Calif. — When the U.S. men’s soccer team left Qatar after the last World Cup, the repeated lament was the lack of a No. 1 striker.
Folarin Balogun’s name wasn’t entirely new at that point. Born in New York to Nigerian parents and raised in London, he had played for a U.S. youth squad in 2018. He started playing first-team club soccer at England’s Middlesbrough in the first half 2022, and a brief hot streak there got him on U.S. fans’ radar.
The next European season brought Balogun’s real breakout and a bigger spotlight. Now not only did the U.S. want him, but also Nigeria and the England program of which he played on youth clubs from 2018 to 2021.
For a stretch of spring 2023, the noise resembled college football teams recruiting a five-star high school quarterback. U.S. fans flooded Balogun’s Instagram page with comments, then-manager Anthony Hudson dropped hints about conversations, and even then-England manager Gareth Southgate was pulled into the chattering class.
In March, it really looked like a recruiting circus. Around that month’s FIFA window, Balogun was spotted courtside at an Orlando Magic game, then at Yankees spring training, with U.S. Soccer’s help behind the scenes.
Two months later, Balogun committed to the U.S. program. And in the three years since, he has lived up to the hype, with nine goals in 27 games, including one in the first World Cup tuneup vs. Senegal. Both numbers would have been higher if not for long stretches of 2024 and 2025 missed because of injuries.
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Now comes the biggest moment. Balogun, 24, almost certainly will be the Americans’ starting striker at the World Cup, beginning with Friday’s group stage opener against Paraguay in Inglewood, Calif. (9 p.m., Fox29, Telemundo 62).
“I feel like my individual journey is a bit full-circle now, approaching the World Cup,” he said Monday, the opening day of the U.S. team’s stay at its World Cup base camp. “Especially with the World Cup being here, the opportunity to represent my nation in front of a home crowd is going to be something special for me, for my family, for my friends, and for the team. So I’m definitely looking forward to it and very proud.”
His teammates know what he brings to the squad.
“His movements: left, right, being able to hold a ball up and bring other players in, and then his movement in behind,” U.S. centerback and captain Tim Ream said. “Just being in positions, and getting himself into goal-scoring positions, is something that we’ve been crying out for for a long time with the team and the group, and he brings that.”
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Ream sat next to Balogun on the podium, so he joked about being wary of giving too many compliments. But he went on with them anyway.
“He’s probably the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training because he is so quick with his movements,” Ream said. “Physically strong and able to seemingly glide past people.”
Balogun admitted that being so close to the World Cup doesn’t feel real yet, but he knows the time is coming.
“I think it’s probably going to start to feel more real to me when I’m lining up and preparing to go out on to the pitch and I’m hearing the fans shouting and screaming,” he said. “I definitely think it will be real to me the closer I get, but this is the first opportunity for me to play in a World Cup. So I don’t really have any expectations, and I’m just trying to stay present, stay in the moment, soak everything in.”
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There were a few moments to enjoy on Monday, when the U.S. held an open practice for fans — its only one of camp. A full house of 5,500 fans attended at Championship Soccer Stadium, home of the second-tier USL Championship’s Orange County SC, with free admission through registration with the city of Irvine. U.S. Soccer said there were over 32,000 applicants.
Quite a few of them cheered for Balogun specifically, along with the many “USA!” chants that rose all morning.
“As I said before, it’s just coming to a full-circle moment, being able to perform on the biggest stage and give back to the fans,” he said. “That’s something I’m looking forward to doing, and I’m just happy I have the opportunity to do that.”
And he hasn’t forgotten that whirlwind time leading up to his commitment and what it showed him about soccer’s growth in the United States.
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“I just remember an immense amount of appreciation from the fans,” Balogun said. “I didn’t realize at that moment how big football, soccer, was here in America. And to really feel that in full force was something that was inspirational for me. It made my decision easier.”
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
