Folarin Balogun is officially eligible for the U.S. men’s national team and after a sour ending to life in the England national team pool, the young forward is focused on giving his all in a new and exciting opportunity.
Balogun’s one-time international switch was approved by FIFA on Tuesday, giving the USMNT another talented forward to call on as early as this summer. Five years after his last appearance for the United States, Balogun is eligible to feature for the USMNT this June during the Concacaf Nations League Final Four, starting with a semifinal showdown against rivals Mexico.
The 21-year-old still has three final club matches with Stade Reims over the next three weeks, but already has one eye on what should be an exciting summer on the international stage.
“Luckily for me, my first time is going to be in a competitive tournament so of course the ambition is to win and there’s not really much more to it,” Balogun said in a Q&A session with U.S. Soccer. “I’m going to have the opportunity to get in and train with the boys, but for sure it’s just straight down to business when we head to Vegas.
“It’s amazing,” Balogun added when asked about the early opportunity to face Mexico in a knockout match. “I like to play big games and it’s something that every young player should be aspiring to do. Having the opportunity to play against Mexico in a rivalry match would be amazing and hopefully I can make a difference.”
Balogun was originally expected to play a large role for England’s Under-21 national team at the European U-21 Championship, but after switching to the USMNT, the Brooklyn-born forward should have an early opportunity for senior minutes. Balogun had yet to feature in the England senior team with Harry Kane, Marcus Rasford, Callum Wilson, Ivan Toney, and Ollie Watkins all in front of him in the pecking order.
Although Balogun didn’t have a chance to feature at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he did monitor the USMNT’s run to the Round of 16 and could be a key piece when the Americans help host the 2026 edition on home soil. Balogun has continued excitement over the growth of the U.S. Soccer program and has high expectations over what’s to come with his long-term involvement.
“I think we all saw them at the World Cup,” Balogun said when asked about the USMNT’s World Cup run. “It’s a really young, energetic squad and for sure the potential of the squad is amazing, so definitely with me coming into it I think I can add my qualities and it will really come through in the next few years.”
“My message to USMNT supporters is to believe, trust the process and for sure I have a lot of faith in this current squad that we’ll win a lot,” he added.
Here is a formation that I would love to see with this USMNT 4-3-2-1.
————Balo———-
Puli—————Reyna
Musah—-Adams—-McKennie
A.Rob,Trusty,M.Rob,Dest
————Turner———
Balance defensively and allowing Pulisic and Reyna to create under Balo.
he implies he’s being called for NL (“first time…”) which is no shock but a tiny news nugget. i am sure he will be in NL and not GC but i actually think a lengthy camp and competition/rotation through several games would be the best way to get him evaluated and integrated, which i doubt is happening for an arsenal loan player. he on paper should walk into the job but i think we need to get out of the “walking into the job” business and have a competition where the outcome isn’t predetermined on paper.
that said i expect in reality he starts one or both NL games and plays 115′ or more. i just think we should put 3-5 strikers we like in a steel cage for months and find the ones who can produce more than a “1 game streak.” i have high hopes for this one but go through the motions of making him win the job on the field.
and then while they try him out sort out some sort of a functioning offensive concept of where the goals will come from that works with the striker and supporting players being put on the field, that maximizes him or whoever else plays. to me half the problem for 4-5 years has been that for all the high minded tactical talk in praxis it’s been like put the streaky striker out there and whack crosses in. GB and hudson even throw around “profiles” but no real thought seems to go into a striker fitting with the players around him in some goalscoring scheme.
i mean, sit back a second and ask on an average possession what we’re trying to do to get a goal. too often it’s whack a ball in the box and hope mckennie heads it or pulisic gives his body up. there has to be a better use and concept for all the talent, and most teams don’t just pick all stars, they pick to a scheme. to me we’ve regressed. stewart and cobi hitting crosses to mcbride might have seemed crude but it was built to suit. figure out which guys we can rely on and a scheme that makes them excellent.
This generation of US players could do something special if USSF hires the right coach. We may not have any “World Class” players, but we’ve got a good crop of diverse talents that are all relatively young. We should be able to stretch opponents with speed using Pulisic, Weah, & Balogun as the probable attacking starters. We’ll have someone who can pick a locked defense in Reyna. Toughness and industry with McKennie, Musah, and Adams. Backs able to get up and down the line in Jedi, Dest, & Scally. Which only leaves the CB’s as the real unknown for this team; and we do have options with Richards, Robinson, CCV, McKenzie, & Trusty capable of staking a claim.
This still leaves us with Pepi, Sargent, B. Aaronson, P. Aaronson, Booth, Zendejas Peredas & LDLT as depth while we await the emergence/maturation of some of the U20s or others. We’ve got 3 years for our players to jell and become attune to how to play together effectively.
We’re going to need more depth.
2026 is a long ways away
I’m just thrilled we do t have to see Haji Wright or Jesus Ferreira get shoe horned into the #9 role again.
we already had 4-5 years for them to gel. it’s very important we get the right coach and tactics involved so they look like they ever practiced together. yes, they have 3-7 more years to make this generation meet hopes. but there are no guarantees if they keep using the wrong coaching.
re your “world class” comment, i think we have decentralized development and as a result there may some ebb and flow because no center controls how players are brought along. the reality is YNT don’t start til U15 and have a handful of camps and trips a year. i think if you want world class players who look like they played together before it helps to have a centralized residential setup a la clairefontaine or bradenton where the best players get pushed to even greater things by elite coaching. i am not sold that handing our development to 30+ FCD academies gets it done. and i think the 2010s had a lot to do with handing development to club academies that weren’t ready to deliver NT players outside of maybe 1 or 2.
It’s all good. While I’m sure there are still going to be some Debbie Downers, we are now in a position where we have a lot of players who would have started for us in the past who may not get off the bench or even make the roster. While it would be nice to integrate this player into the team a little gradually, I think he should get a lot of minutes early. Now if only the USSF would hire a good coach. Here’s someone I don’t think has been mentioned much in the past–Steve Cherundolo. A lot of experience playing in Germany, doing very well with LAFC, a lot of World Cup experience. He checks a lot of boxes.
You should probably give Dolo a lot of credit for Tillman the Elder.
He’s the dude I’d personally be leaning towards myself.
I’m leaning towards Patrick Viera. Who is in contention.
Pepi was subbed off in the 25th minute today with an injury. So perhaps that will speed a long the process.
———————
Cherundolo is always in my list of guys that should be considered for the reasons Gary mentioned. My one concern is his limited managerial experience. At Las Vegas he had little talent and finished last (which has been their tradition). Then at LAFC one of the best rosters and he wins. His Hanover youth teams didn’t put up big numbers but not every academy is interested in winning but developing players. Will he tick the boxers for the hire Klopp, Lowe, Pep guys, no. But given those names are unlikely to be interested Cherundolo shouldn’t be overlooked.
Pepi injured. Hopefully it’s not serious. But this is why talented depth needs to be a priority going forward for the USMNT program.
JR,
So if you give Dolo a better roster, his teams do better?
Okay.
I’d like Dolo to spend more time actually managing a team. This comes a little too soon but if push came to shove, in of absence of a better choice than the usual suspects already named I’d pick him.
But I’m hoping Crocker will have a more interesting slate of candidates. Ex-USMNT players still have that whiff of cronyism and pandering to the fans base about them.
V: that was the exact point I was trying to make. Clearly you just said it more clearly.
JR,
None of the American candidates for the 2026 cycle are good enough.
Hiring any of them would just be a “settle for ” hiring.
.
Honestly, never mind Dolo, Marsch needs more experience. Those two, and most of the rest of the American candidates have potential but limited managerial experience.
This can be a handicap when you switch over to a national team.
National team managers have so very little to do compared to club guys. I think it would drive an adrenalin junkie like Marsch nuts. He needs a club job where he can work on what he’s learned. Jesse proves that there is a fine line between being passionate and committed and being inflexible and hard headed.
We just spent the last cycle with Gregg learning on the job and making it up as he went along.
I can’t think of a worse thing than Jesse using the USMNT to try and prove everyone wrong about the virtue of his “system” . Plus, he’s a great believer in Aaron Long. I’m not against Jesse; I’m just against him as a USMNT manager.
It would be nice if we actually had someone this time around who had an effective plan and knew what he was doing.
Dolo has the makings of a really good manager and frankly, I don’t want to interrupt his overall managerial development for the USMNT job. I see him as a guy who could eventually do the kind of things we thought Jesse might do in Europe but has failed to do so far.
From the list of inexperienced under-qualified candidates, Cherundelo is the best.
Ancelotti would be a good choice but apparently Brazil is trying to lock him in.
———————
I think experience can be overrated at times. What Van Gaal did wasn’t groundbreaking? Berhalter made the adjustments to break them down, the MF and CBs just either couldn’t technically or come up with the confidence to make the passes to break them down. Tifo IRL did a good breakdown on YouTube. If a manager is talented they’re talented. Hurzeler is only 30 and nearly took St Pauli from relegation to Bundesliga promotion in a couple months. Nagelsman was just 35 and in his 6th year when he won the Bundesliga.
2tone: according to the team website (translated by Google), he was hit in the face and tried to continue but then came off. Wouldn’t think he’d be out too long.
JR
“If a manager is talented they’re talented.”
Fair point but how do we know they are talented?
How do you know “Ancelotti would be a good choice”?
Because you and I, we all , have the EXPERIENCE of watching him and Hurzeler and Nagelsman, do good things.
These gentlemen did some very tangible things to make you think they might be good at their jobs.
They have more than fancy pants furriner names, they have track records.
That is no guarantee but it’s better than what we got with Gregg.
For 2026 I’m not interested in the equivalent of taking a chance that the CEO’s brother will be a diamond in the rough because the CEO says so.
I want some evidence. For example, beating a better team in a competitive setting. would be nice for a start.
If you have heart surgery they tell you it’s a good idea to go with the surgeon who has done a lot of them with the patients surviving.
Does that mean a less experienced surgeon will kill you? Of course not, but don’t tell me the experience of the surgeon is a bad thing., especially when the operation in question is a big deal..
Gregg had zero track record with national teams and his record with clubs was unremarkable. And in reference to newbies like Hurzeler and Nagelsmann, at least those guys got a lot of good reviews as young hotshots Other than WTF? who is this guy?, the most the most excited, supportive thing said about Gregg from anyone even remotely credible at the time was from Lletget who said that Gregg gave a fantastic power point presentation.
Mostly you had to take it on faith that Gregg would come good because until the actual World Cup itself the team’s performance did little to inspire faith in him. In the end Gregg did just enough to earn a good job under the circumstances rating..
I really don’t think it’s too much to ask of Crocker that he hire a manager who has some evidence that they are the best choice or at least a fair to middling choice for the job.
“What Van Gaal did wasn’t groundbreaking? Berhalter made the adjustments to break them down, the MF and CBs just either couldn’t technically or come up with the confidence to make the passes to break them down.”
You know what Van Gaal did?
He won.
Gregg lost and it was not close.
Gregg tried to win and whatever he tried failed, for whatever reason.
Had it gotten close, it was clear that Van Gaal probably had a plan for that.
Gregg had a sharp stick, Louie had an HK 417.
V: you’re being pretty revisionist about Berhalter. He was not an unknown. He had taken the Crew to MLS Cup final with a pretty small budget in the middle of Precourt trying move the club. He’d gained press when he took over Hammerby before that and was given the “no one treats Americans fairly in Europe” treatment when it ended. Nagelsman hadn’t won any titles before taking over at Bayern (which honestly I think most managers could take to a title) Hurzeler’s only managerial experience was as a player manager he helped promote from the fifth division to the 4th division then saw them go back down. He was given a chance as interim at St Pauli and then earned his head job. Sometimes talented individuals just need a chance.
JR,
“V: you’re being pretty revisionist about Berhalter. He was not an unknown. He had taken the Crew to MLS Cup final with a pretty small budget in the middle of Precourt trying move the club. He’d gained press when he took over Hammerby before that and was given the “no one treats Americans fairly in Europe” treatment when it ended.”
I didn’t say he was unknown. I said he wasn’t necessarily impressive or highly thought of.
Revisionist? I don’t think so. American managers have done a nice job with MLS teams over the years in a variety of circumstances.
Some of us might even remember who they were.
I remember when Jason Kreis was a favorite to replace the other JK. Same with Caleb Porter. Now I’d rather have Alexi Lalas manage the team than either of those guys. Doing a spiffy job with your club team is great as far as that goes but it doesn’t mean you know squat about how to be a good fit for a national team job. As you well know, that is often a very ,very different deal from doing a club job.
I don’t remember a tsunami of support and relief when Gregg was announced. I remember how a lot of people noted, how he was fired by Hammarby because they were offensively impotent. I remember that he was noted for believing more in his “system” than in the players.
“Nagelsman hadn’t won any titles before taking over at Bayern (which honestly I think most managers could take to a title). ”
I disagree, Bayern tends to have a lot of powerful clubhouse lawyers who have no problem speaking their mind. Often. And would have little problem trying to grind a manager into dust if that manager did not impress them. I’m surprised Nagelsmann lasted as long as he did.
Nevertheless, he was very highly regarded before Bayern got him. He was the Golden Child and had Leipzig pushing Bayern pretty good. The only surprise was not that they hired him but that it came sooner than expected. Julian was not some unknown talent that Bayern just decided to take a chance on. That would be revisionist history.
“Sometimes talented individuals just need a chance.”
No doubt, but forgive me if I don’t believe you if you say that, based on his dazzling abilities, all the really smart money had Gregg as their next big thing dark horse bet for the USMNT job before he got it, I was a fan of Gregg as a player at Energie Cottbus but all I knew about his managing career was he was canned at Hammarby and that he revived Zardes’.career by turning him into an out and out striker. At LA, Gyasi was more of a wing forward a la Rashford.