Folarin Balogun arrived in the United States with minimal fanfare. The 24-year-old striker from Monaco does not court the spotlight, prefers to let his boots do the talking, and has now committed to the USMNT after choosing the nation of his birth over England and Nigeria.
What matters most is what he did last season in Ligue 1: finish fourth in scoring with 13 goals. For a country that has long struggled to find a reliable finisher, Balogun represents something approaching an answer.
The striker's impact on how the US builds and deploys its offense will depend heavily on the system around him. In six extended appearances across 10 friendlies since the Gold Cup, all against World Cup field opponents, he has averaged 26.4 touches per 90 minutes. Nearly a quarter of those touches came in the opposition box, with clusters of nine against Japan, eight against Ecuador, and six in a 45-minute stint against Senegal.
Tim Ream, the USMNT captain, praised Balogun's movement and physical presence in training. "Just with his movement: left, right, being able to hold the ball up and bring other players in," Ream said. "He's probably the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training because he is so quick with his movements, physically strong and able to seemingly glide past people."
Recent friendlies against Senegal and Germany exposed both the system's potential and its growing vulnerabilities. The team has shown an inclination to build up the left flank, with Tim Ream circulating to Antonee Robinson. This pattern gets Christian Pulisic more involved but can strand Balogun in stretches, forcing him into a waiting role as teammates work the ball back to congested central areas.
That isolation, however, may not prove catastrophic. Balogun's movement drags opposing center-backs across the pitch, opening lanes for teammates to exploit wide. He functions as a pure advanced striker, rarely dropping into midfield or deeper defensive positioning. For tournament matches, getting him clear shooting opportunities becomes non-negotiable.
The striker acknowledges the variation. "Every game is different," Balogun said of the recent Germany match, which presented a sterner test. "I think in the game against Senegal, I had a good amount of opportunities. I felt involved in a short amount of time. As a striker, that's what you want to do. The game against Germany was a bit more difficult. Of course, they're a better opposition, so that's to be expected."
Paraguay arrives as the USMNT's first group-stage opponent, a familiar foe. The teams met in a friendly last November with Balogun scoring the second goal in a 2-1 US win, though that day's lineup lacked presumptive starters like Pulisic, Robinson, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Sergiño Dest. Balogun managed just 15 touches in 75 minutes that night, his lowest involvement in any of his six extended appearances since the Gold Cup.
Yet efficiency supersedes volume. Paraguay had done everything conceivable to suffocate his threat. In the 71st minute, after the US forced a turnover at the edge of the final third, Balogun broke upfield with Gio Reyna. A ball intended as a cross took a deflection but rolled back toward Balogun, who had received just one touch in the box across 70 minutes of play. He chose not to control the ricochet and instead fired it to the near post. Goal.
That clinical finishing, executed under constraint, is precisely what the US will need. "I'm just trying to go into these games: every game's going to be a completely new game," Balogun said. "Every game's going to be a fight. Players need to be hungry, stay focused. I have faith in my teammates and myself that we can definitely create opportunities and finish them off."
Author James Rodriguez: "Balogun may not grab headlines between touches, but his stillness in the box is exactly what American soccer has desperately needed."
Comments