INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Folarin Balogun stood at the podium and flashed a bright smile.
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“It’s a dreamy night,” he said to the dozens of news media looking on.
Teammates and fans would say that, too.
Friday’s performance — two goals in the U.S. men’s national team’s 4-1 World Cup opener win against Paraguay — solidified why the program spent years working to sway him from signing with England.
Balogun was born in Brooklyn but moved to London when he was only one month old. He spent his entire childhood in the U.K. and, as a dual citizen, played on national youth teams for both countries. In 2001 he was called up to the England under-21 squad, leading many to believe he would join “The Three Lions” long term.
But in 2023 Balogun stunned many by agreeing to join the U.S. for the remainder of his international career. It was a monumental result for the Americans, who not only added a desperately-needed scoring threat but also beat out one of the world’s soccer powers for his services.
At the time, Balogun cited the incredible love fans showed him leading up to his choice and the thought of being a focal point for the Americans on the biggest stage.
Three years (and only one World Cup game) later, he’s already accomplished just that.
“I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation. They showed me so much support,” he said postgame. “For me, the most important thing has always been to repay that. Today is a great opportunity, and I just want to show the fans I made the right decision.”
After an own-goal by Paraguay put the U.S. up 1-0 in the seventh minute on Friday, Balogun extended the lead on a beautiful one-timer in the bottom right of the net from a Christian Pulisic pass.
Moments before halftime, Balogun struck again. He was fed the ball just outside the box, gained control, juked one defender and side stepped another before drilling a shot past the goalkeeper to push the U.S. lead to 3-0. Fans went wild, chanting “U-S-A, U-S-A” as the whistle blew.
When Balogun was subbed off in the 71st minute, he received a standing ovation from the U.S. fans. It was more than deserving considering he became the first American with multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930.
“Not much else to say. The kid is insane,” Pulisic said about Balogun’s World Cup debut. “He’s lethal right now in front of the goal. We’re really lucky to have him. Let’s hope it keeps going like this.”
Pulisic added that Balogun provided more than just scoring for the USMNT against Paraguay.
“Everyone will look at the goals,” Pulisic said, “but the way he’s fighting against these center backs, holding up the balls, getting fouls …”
Balogun wasn’t the only star, however. Pulisic was exceptional all night, weaving past defenders and creating scoring chances. Gio Reyna had an incredible goal using the outside of his foot in the 79th minute to secure the victory.
New USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino said it was a total team effort, calling the team “amazing.” Pulisic went a step further.
“All and all an incredible start,” he said. “But there’s a lot more that we have to do.”
The USMNT will next travel to Seattle for their second match next Friday against Australia before returning to Los Angeles to face Turkey. The top two teams of the group will advance to the knockout stage.
Depending on how they fare, the U.S. could be playing for more than a month against the best nations in the world. But after Friday’s victory, they’ve earned some downtime.
Asked what his plans were after a legendary debut, Balogun thought for a second before answering.
“To be honest, I think I’ll probably just watch some Netflix.”
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