{"id":13978,"date":"2026-06-10T20:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13978"},"modified":"2026-06-10T20:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T20:32:10","slug":"usmnts-folarin-balogun-eager-for-world-cup-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13978","title":{"rendered":"USMNT\u2019s Folarin Balogun eager for World Cup debut"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

IRVINE \u2014 After a long club season, Folarin Balogun headed to the United States in the summer of 2023 for a much-needed break.<\/p>\n

Read more Knott\u2019s Scary Farm offers sneak peek during preview event<\/a><\/p>\n

Little did he know, his every move would be watched and stalked on social media by fans of the U.S. men\u2019s national team.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Balogun\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI posted the picture, and to be fair, I showed it to my agent before I posted to see if it was OK,\u201d Balogun said back in 2023. \u201cFrom the picture, I couldn\u2019t make out that I was in America. When the comments started coming in that I was here (in America), I was overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> 12 tidbits to know before the 23rd men\u2019s World Cup, plus what to call all 48 teams<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Monday, he looked back at the social media storm his trip to the U.S. created.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI just remember an immense amount of appreciation from the fans,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, after an 18-goal season with AS Monaco in France\u2019s Ligue 1, Balogun is looking to leave an imprint on this summer\u2019s 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\u2019 attack.<\/p>\n

In the last two friendlies before arriving in Irvine for the final preparations for Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Read more Nancy Mace\u2019s unpredictable career is up in the air after finishing last in South Carolina primary<\/a><\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong> FIFA\u2019s biggest World Cup may leave host cities with big regrets<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI feel like my individual journey is a bit full circle now, approaching the World Cup,\u201d he said Monday. \u201cEspecially 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\u2019m definitely looking forward to it and very proud.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just coming to a full-circle moment, being able to perform on the biggest stage and give back to the fans. That\u2019s something I\u2019m looking forward to doing, and I\u2019m just happy I have the opportunity to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defender and captain Tim Ream called Balogun \u201cthe most annoying\u201d to face in practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is so quick with his movements,\u201d Ream said. \u201cHe\u2019s physically strong and able to seemingly glide past people.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe 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\u2019ve been crying out for for a long time. He brings that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Balogun scored a goal in the 2-1 win for the U.S. over Paraguay in November. Fast forward to Friday, and it\u2019s the same teams kicking off the World Cup in the United States, an opportunity that Balogun has dreamed of.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely think it\u2019ll start to feel more real to me, the closer we get. This is the first opportunity for me to play in a World Cup,\u201d Balogun said. \u201cI don\u2019t really have any expectations and I\u2019m just trying to stay present, stay in the moment and soak everything in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am enjoying the experience so far and I hope it can be a really memorable one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Trump sticks with Pulte for intel job as risk grows of lapse in spy powers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 24-year-old forward, born in New York with the possibility of representing three countries, looks to carry momentum from his 18-goal season with AS Monaco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nUSMNT\u2019s Folarin Balogun eager for World Cup debut - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=13978\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USMNT\u2019s Folarin Balogun eager for World Cup debut - 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