U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun was one of the few bright spots in the squad last summer and now he has his first opportunity since then to build off of his performances.
Balogun, who has already kicked off his second season with Ligue 1 side Monaco, scored two goals at the tournament, including a golazo in a 2-1 group stage loss to Panama. However, the 23-year-old has yet to get off the mark for Adolf Hutter’s squad in France, featuring in two of the club’s three matches to date.
Balogun endured some tough moments in his first season with Monaco, finishing with eight goals, 14 less tallies than he totaled with Stade Reims the prior year. A former dual-national, Balogun committed his future to the USMNT in 2023 and since has added a new style of play to the No. 9 role.
Upcoming friendlies vs. Canada and New Zealand might not mean much in the overall preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but to Balogun, it is the perfect opportunity for him to build some confidence and help the USMNT put their forgettable summer of results behind them.
“I think after the Copa ended there was a mutual feeling in the dressing room of disappointment and we knew that we had to put it to rest, that we had to go away and reflect,” Balogun told reporters Tuesday in a conference call. “We’ve come back for this camp and we’ve had the time to reflect and speak together and we have two friendly games coming up. As always, when we have the opportunity to wear this jersey, it’s about putting on a show. We’re not treating it as friendlies and we want to make a statement and remind people what we’re about.
“Any coach will tell you from a striker that he wants goals, so that’s something that I’m still focused on and I’m focused on finding ways to help the team create chances,” Balogun added when asked about goals for this window.
Balogun has scored five goals in 15 USMNT caps to date, which is the same amount of goals that Sargent has and one more than Wright.
