There is a version of Folarin Balogun’s life in which he spent Friday night watching this FIFA World Cup from a sofa in London. He grew up there, joined Arsenal’s academy at eight, represented England through to under-21 level, and spent 15 years at Hale End dreaming of a first-team debut. England was always an option. Nigeria, where his parents are from, was another. Instead, he chose the country he was born in, committed to the United States three years ago, and on Friday night at SoFi Stadium, he scored twice in a 4-1 demolition of Paraguay to announce himself as the face of a home World Cup.
“I visualised my debut scoring,” he said after.
“But the reality did surpass that. A very dreamy night.”
What makes the story richer is how circuitous the route was. Balogun left Arsenal in 2023 having made just 10 senior appearances, squeezed out by Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah, and signed for Monaco for €30 million after a breakout loan season at Reims, where he had scored 21 league goals. It was that form in France that first drew serious American interest. He attended a USMNT training camp in Florida in the spring of 2023, was courted aggressively by US Soccer, and committed formally in May that year after FIFA approved a one-time association switch.
“The United States really wanted me,” he said at the time, “and it suited my development.” Nigeria, meanwhile, did not qualify for this tournament. England arrived in North America without him.
Three years on, Balogun went into Friday’s opener with nine goals in 27 caps and the weight of a nation’s striker problem on his shoulders. He shed it with ease. The US took the lead through a Damin Bobadilla own goal before Balogun doubled it past the half-hour, tucking home from close range after a Pulisic feed. Then, deep into first-half stoppage time, he collected a through ball, shook off a defender and curled a venomous finish into the upper left corner. It was the kind of goal that does not require context to appreciate, though the context, for those who knew it, gave it considerable charge.
In doing so, he became the first American to score multiple World Cup goals in a single match since Bert Patenaude’s hat-trick against the same opponents at the inaugural tournament in Uruguay in 1930.
Christian Pulisic, who limped off at half-time with a calf concern, was not short of admiration.
“The kid’s insane,” he said. “He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”
“Everyone will look at the goals, but the way he’s fighting against these centre-backs, holding the ball up, getting fouls – I really like it,” he added.
Somewhere in the 70,000-odd crowd, Balogun’s relatives had made the trip from London. He said he could just about spot them, though the sea of red, white and blue made it difficult.
“I had to sort a lot of tickets,” he admitted, “but I’m happy to do it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion.”
After, Balogun was asked how he intended to spend the evening. He smiled. “I think I’ll just watch some Netflix,” he said. The country that chose him, or more accurately, the one he chose, will spend the weekend talking about considerably more than that.
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