IRVINE — After a long club season, Folarin Balogun headed to the United States in the summer of 2023 for a much-needed break.
Little did he know, his every move would be watched and stalked on social media by fans of the U.S. men’s national team.
Balogun was born in New York to Nigerian parents and raised in London. His soccer career took him to the Arsenal academy and then to his first professional stop at Middlesbrough. At the youth level, he played for both the U.S. and England. With the options of representing Nigeria, England or the USMNT at the senior level, he quickly became a hot commodity.
Balogun’s U.S. vacation took him to an Orlando Magic game and then a visit to a New York Yankees spring training game. Suddenly it became the hottest recruiting moment, as he if was deciding between Alabama or LSU.
“I posted the picture, and to be fair, I showed it to my agent before I posted to see if it was OK,” Balogun said back in 2023. “From the picture, I couldn’t make out that I was in America. When the comments started coming in that I was here (in America), I was overwhelmed.”
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Balogun, 24, eventually met with then USMNT interim coach Anthony Hudson. By May, he made the FIFA international, committing to the U.S. Balogun received his first call-up the following month and made his U.S. debut in the CONCACAF Nations League Finals.
Monday, he looked back at the social media storm his trip to the U.S. created.
“I just remember an immense amount of appreciation from the fans,” he 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.”
Now, after an 18-goal season with AS Monaco in France’s Ligue 1, Balogun is looking to leave an imprint on this summer’s FIFA World Cup. The U.S. scored just three goals in 2022 in Qatar. With an in-form Balogun, the possibilities are endless for the Americans’ attack.
In the last two friendlies before arriving in Irvine for the final preparations for Friday’s opener at SoFi Stadium, Balogun played 45 minutes and scored a goal in the 3-2 win over Senegal and 71 minutes in the 2-1 loss against Germany.
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“I feel like my individual journey is a bit full circle now, approaching the World Cup,” he said Monday. “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.
“It’s just coming to a full-circle moment, being able to perform on the biggest stage and give back to the fans. That’s something I’m looking forward to doing, and I’m just happy I have the opportunity to do that.”
Defender and captain Tim Ream called Balogun “the most annoying” to face in practice.
“He is so quick with his movements,” Ream said. “He’s physically strong and able to seemingly glide past people.
“He is able to hold the ball up, bringing other people into play. His movement in behind, being in position and getting himself into goal-scoring positions is something that we’ve been crying out for for a long time. He brings that.”
Balogun has scored eight goals for the U.S. in 21 appearances. A big World Cup might see a move from Monaco, where he was named Player of the Season for recently concluded season.
Balogun scored a goal in the 2-1 win for the U.S. over Paraguay in November. Fast forward to Friday, and it’s the same teams kicking off the World Cup in the United States, an opportunity that Balogun has dreamed of.
“I definitely think it’ll start to feel more real to me, the closer we get. 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.
“I am enjoying the experience so far and I hope it can be a really memorable one.”