IRVINE, Calif. — Matt Freese is the U.S. men’s national team’s starting goalkeeper. He faces Folarin Balogun all the time in practice. When asked on Tuesday to describe Balogun’s shot, Freese nodded and held up his hands. Heavy wraps of medical tape stabilized the base of each thumb and looped down toward his index fingers.
Freese shrugged.
“You see this?” he said. “I need this because he shoots on me.”
With his powerful shot and prodigious work rate, Balogun has been by far the biggest American revelation at this World Cup. It wouldn’t be right to call his performances a “pleasant surprise” because, really, what he has produced is exactly what U.S. Soccer (and all American fans) hoped would come from the minute Balogun joined the program.
In the first two U.S. victories, Balogun scored two goals, forced another own goal with a blistering run and inch-perfect cross, and generally been the type of attacking threat up top that American soccer has craved. If he scores once more this tournament, he’d be tied with Landon Donovan for the most goals by an American at a modern World Cup.
Read more:Neymar comes off Brazil bench for first ’26 World Cup minutes
Balogun, who earned man of the match honors in both U.S. group-stage wins, has even fielded questions about competing for the Golden Boot at this tournament — a premise that may be a bit of a stretch given what Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé are doing but is heady all the same.
“It’s annoying,” Balogun said through a smile when asked what it’s like to see the game’s biggest stars whizzing past him on the goals leaderboard. “To see players like Messi, Mbappé, [Erling] Haaland — they’re so inevitable. They score a goal a game or sometimes more. For me, it’s trying to get to that level, to be inevitable. To be consistent.”
He added, “I’ve got the potential in me to do that.”
At this point, it would be hard to argue. Balogun is even seeing his name pop up in transfer speculation — a rite of passage for seemingly all strikers who shine brightest at a World Cup or Euros — with The Athletic reporting that Balogun’s current club, AS Monaco, have had preliminary discussions with several European teams, including some from the Premier League.
Read more:Kylian Mbappé makes it rain as storms delay France win
Balogun’s backstory — born in New York after his pregnant mother, who was visiting the U.S., wasn’t allowed to fly home because she was too close to her due date — is fast becoming part of U.S. Soccer lore. Also eligible to play for England (where he was raised) or Nigeria (where his parents grew up), Balogun was heavily recruited to join the U.S. program by former coach Gregg Berhalter. He made his allegiance official in May 2023.
Since then, he has scored 11 goals in 29 appearances at the international level. He has also patiently answered a steady stream of questions related to his feelings about England, coming up through Arsenal‘s academy system and how he might feel if the U.S. were to face England at some point in this tournament.
“I’m very proud to be American and to represent America,” Balogun said in response to the most recent version of this particular line of questioning. “My story has gotten a little bit of attention. … But nothing changes. I’m very proud to be here.”
Balogun’s goal scoring is, obviously, the most tangible impact he offers the U.S. team, but his versatility has shown through, too, both in tactics and style. When the U.S. switched from a one-striker setup to using two strikers against Australia (with Ricardo Pepi joining Balogun as Christian Pulisic sat out injured), Balogun paired perfectly with Pepi and constantly hounded the Australian defense.
Read more:What’s the goal of USMNT’s pre-World Cup friendlies?
Similarly, even when playing as the lone striker, Balogun wasn’t simply waiting for service; he was constantly tracking back, digging deep to challenge opponents and create opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise be there.
That grit is something his teammates revere.
“He’s getting stuck into tackles, putting his body on the line,” Weston McKennie said. “He showed everyone he’s willing to do the dirty work as well.”
Read more:Balogun makes this USMNT better, including its star, Pulisic
The praise came from all corners. Pulisic called Balogun “insane” and said he’s “lethal right now in front of goal.” Even coach Mauricio Pochettino, who does everything he can to deflect focus from any individual player and keep the limelight on the larger group, couldn’t help himself.
Asked about Balogun after the 4-1 win over Paraguay, Pochettino initially spoke about the collective team before adding, “Balogun was amazing, of course.” (Returning to form, Pochettino then listed several other players who were also amazing.)
It’s likely that Balogun won’t feature much (or even at all) in Thursday’s final group stage match with Türkiye. He said he’d be happy to play, but isn’t in charge of making those decisions.
Beating Türkiye, even if the match is meaningless in the standings, would “put a positive message out there,” he said. “Not just for ourselves, but towards other teams.”
The other teams are certainly aware of Balogun by now. And as the U.S. pushes deeper into this tournament, the weight on him to continue delivering the American attack will grow only heavier.
That, Balogun said, is fine by him. His expectations are as grand as anyone’s.
“I’m enjoying the stakes, enjoying the pressure,” he said. “It’s what brings out the best in me.”
