In Folarin Balogun, the USMNT finally have a striker who can do ‘what you need to do’ at FIFA World Cup

CHESTER, Pa. — For years, the general feeling of the U.S. men’s national team was that they were on the right track, and if they had a striker who could finish chances, they’d reach a new level. Fast forward, and Folarin Balogun has now scored in three games in a row while starting for the USMNT, leading the charge in a 2-1 victory over Paraguay on Saturday. 

During the first half of play, Balogun only had eight touches, the second fewest of any player except USMNT keeper Matt Freese.  But when the ball came to him in the second half, Balogun was ready to put the USMNT ahead, and that’s just what he’ll need to do at the World Cup. For the best strikers in the world, no one cares how much they touch the ball during a match, only what they do with it, especially when they’re pressing relentlessly like the Monaco man did. That pressure during the clash with Paraguay also wasn’t lost on USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino, who had praise for the striker following the win.

“He was decisive. He scored the winning goal. And at the World Cup, that’s what you need to do. To me, it was fantastic because it wasn’t easy to fight against the Paraguayan defense, and they’re a very good team,” Pochettino said following the match. “I think it’s a massive lesson for him and the players to play against this Paraguayan team in this type of game.” 

Without Christian Pulisic to pull the defense wide, Balogun was shadowed closely by Paraguay’s center back duo of Blas Riveros and Gustavo Gomez. For one of the first times during his short tenure with the USMNT, Balogun was the top attacking threat, getting the most attention from the defense, but small adjustments gave him the space to make things happen. He dealt with that attention well, but that doesn’t mean that Balogun wasn’t feeling the frustration during the match.

“There are definitely moments in the game when I was frustrated,” Balogun said. “I felt in the first half there was a push in the back that could’ve been a penalty, so of course, when there’s no VAR, teams can get away with things, but you just have to stay focused. But of course, when there is VAR, and the matches are officiated a bit better, you hope to get these calls.”

The uptick in competition that the USMNT are playing is something that comes into play here. Paraguay are a top CONMEBOL team and, having qualified for the World Cup, they’re quite refined in the dark arts of the game. It will be a similar test facing Uruguay on Tuesday, but the United States passed a critical test, not allowing the frustration that was building to get to them during the match.

These situations can lead to red cards and mistakes, but as Balogun and the USMNT grow in confidence under Pochettino, they’re rising above the pressure, which will help them meet sky-high expectations during the World Cup. Balogun is someone who both the USMNT and Monaco look to for goals, and it’s helping him grow into a leader with the team. Even following a game in which he scored, Balogun was sure to point out the performance by Gio Reyna in attack.

“Gio wanted to come into camp and do his thing; he wanted to put the noise behind him, and I felt he did that today. It was a really good performance in a difficult game,” Balogun said. “He got the goal early for us, and he helped create the second goal, so I’m really happy for him, and it’s a fantastic night for him and for us overall.”

With comments like that, you can see that this is still a tight-knit squad, which is another factor for the World Cup. Enjoying playing together and fighting together will be critical, but having the quality to defeat teams also needs to be there. Balogun is bringing just what was hoped when he committed to the USMNT in May of 2023, and along with the team’s improving form under Pochettino, it provides reasons for hope.