"He's probably the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training," says USMNT captain Tim Ream. Coming from a centre-back, that's the most useful scouting report Folarin Balogun could ask for heading into a home World Cup.
The 24-year-old Monaco striker goes into the tournament off the back of goals in eight consecutive games and a Player of the Season award in Ligue 1. That's not a player riding momentum — that's a player who's found his level and stayed there.
The long road to this moment
Balogun's route to wearing the Stars and Stripes was anything but straightforward. Born in Brooklyn, raised in London, developed at Arsenal — England had every reason to expect him. The US Soccer Federation moved early, pulling him into the youth setup at U18 level, and in 2023 he made it official. Balogun chose the USMNT and hasn't looked back.
"I remember an immense amount of appreciation from the fans," he said this week from the team's base in Irvine, California. "I didn't realize just how big football, or soccer, is out here in America. So to really feel that, in full force, was something that was inspirational to me."
He'll feel it a lot more once the tournament starts. The pressure of a home World Cup is a different beast entirely.
What he brings — and what's at stake
Ream's praise goes beyond the goals. "Able to hold the ball up, bringing other people into play. His movement in behind, being in position and getting himself into goalscoring positions is something that we've been crying out for for a long time." That's Pochettino's 3-4-2-1 working as designed — a striker who doesn't just wait to be served, but creates the spaces others exploit.
Pochettino named three strikers in his 26-man squad: Balogun, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright. Balogun played 117 of a possible 180 minutes across two pre-tournament friendlies, including a goal off the bench against Senegal. The pecking order isn't ambiguous.
- Group stage opener: USMNT vs Paraguay — a winnable game that suits a striker in form
- Balogun scored in 8 consecutive games late in the Monaco season
- Named Monaco's Player of the Season for 2025/26
- Playing in Pochettino's preferred 3-4-2-1 as the lone centre-forward
The USMNT's attacking output — and by extension, their World Cup odds — runs significantly through him. A striker in this kind of form, playing in front of a home crowd in a tournament where reputations get built in 90-minute windows, is worth serious attention from anyone pricing up Golden Boot markets.
"This is the first opportunity for me to play in a World Cup," Balogun said. "I don't really have any expectations and I'm just trying to stay present, stay in the moment and soak everything in."
Relaxed striker. Career-best form. Home crowd. Paraguay up first. The conditions are right.
