Folarin Balogun bolsters USMNT striker case for 2026
Folarin Balogun has given the U.S. men’s national team the pure No. 9 it had lacked for years. The Brooklyn-born, 24-year-old striker now looks like the clearest answer to a problem that showed up again when the United States scored three goals in four games at the 2022 World Cup and went out in the Round of 16.
Balogun’s path to that point was not simple. Born in Brooklyn and raised in London, he represented both England and the United States in youth competitions, with Nigeria also available through his parents, and he later landed at Monaco in France’s Ligue 1.
Orlando changed the picture
March 2023 brought the decisive turn. Balogun was called into England’s Under-21 squad, then pulled out five days later citing injury, and it emerged that he was in Orlando on a recruiting visit while the USMNT held camp there. That trip added a live look at a striker the staff had been chasing behind the scenes for some time.
Balogun said the reaction in Florida stuck with him: “That was motivating ’cause it shows how people say soccer’s not a big thing over here. I do think it is,” he said. He added, “There’s millions of fans. It’s just about creating the exposure to make it something more global, but there definitely is a big fanbase. I really felt that.”
The striker problem at World Cup 2022
The urgency around Balogun makes sense when set against the 2022 World Cup. Josh Sargent started at striker twice, Jesús Ferreira once, and Haji Wright and Tim Weah each started up top once, but the team still produced only three goals in four games before the Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands. That cycle exposed how thin the position had been.
The current group looks different. Thirteen players from that World Cup are still in the pool, including Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Sergiño Dest and Weah, but the striker spot is now viewed as a strength for this cycle. Ricardo Pepi’s breakout year at PSV Eindhoven has helped that shift, yet Balogun remains the most complete version of the role.
Tyler Adams on Balogun
Adams put the case plainly: “He knows how to find the back of the net.” He also pointed to the traits that separate Balogun from a simple finisher, saying, “That’s important, but I think it’s his versatility.”
Adams described the rest of the package this way: “He’s a smaller forward, but his ability to run in behind the back line and stretch back lines is a huge threat for any team.” He added, “But also his ability to hold up the ball.”
For the USMNT, that mix is the change. Balogun’s movement, finishing and link-up play give the team a striker profile it did not have in Qatar, and that is why he is being treated as a major piece of the 2026 World Cup cycle rather than just another option at the position.
