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Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria ... United States' Folarin Balogun, center, celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Paraguay with teamates during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. Credit: AP/Andre Penner By The Associated Press Updated June 13, 2026 12:18 am Share INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Folarin Balogun could have played for any one of three countries. He chose the United States, and it paid off with a splashy World Cup debut on home soil. The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium. “I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that,” Balogun said. “A very dreamy night.” With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Back then, Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in a 3-0 U.S. win over Paraguay, the first hat trick in World Cup history. “The kid’s insane,” teammate Christian Pulisi…

Nigerian-blooded Folarin Balogun fires USA to dream World Cup start Football Published By Michael Adesina Date 13th June, 2026 Share: Folarin Balogun Photo: Sky Sports Quick Read Balogun, born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba heritage, was the star of the show as the United States opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in ruthless fashion. Folarin Balogun, the Nigerian-blooded striker leading the United States attack, announced himself on the World Cup stage with two goals as the co-hosts thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles. Balogun, born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba heritage, was the star of the show as the United States opened their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign in ruthless fashion. The AS Monaco forward struck twice in the first half to give Mauricio Pochettino’s side a perfect start in Group D. For many Nigerian fans, the story goes beyond the scoreline. Balogun is not just another American forward. He is a player with Nigerian roots, raised in England, developed at Arsenal, and now carrying the attacking hopes of the United States at a home World Cup. The 24-year-old was once eligible to represent Nigeria, England and the United …

Folarin Balogun is USA Soccer's biggest star at 2026 World Cup WORLD CUP U.S. Men's National Soccer Team Add Topic Folarin Balogun is USA Soccer's biggest star at 2026 World Cup Alicia Del Gallo USA TODAY Updated June 19, 2026, 3:53 p.m. ET Hear this story Editor's note: Follow USA vs. Australia LIVE Folarin Balogun is the name to know for the U.S. men's national team during this 2026 World Cup . The 24-year-old was responsible for the USMNT's first goal vs. Australia on Friday, June 19. Balogun broke free on the left side of the field and fired the ball into the center of the box just in front of goal. The ball ricocheted off the feet of an Australian defender and into the net for an own goal, giving the Americans a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. Balogun scored two goals in the first half of the opening match against Paraguay on June 12, giving his team a 3-0 lead at halftime to cap off an incredible first 45 minutes of action. The United States ended up winning 4-1. Balogun was the first USMNT player to score two goals in a game since Bert Patenaude accomplished the feat in the 1930 World Cup in a 3-0 win over Paraguay. "It’s a dreamy night," Balogun told reporters after the Parag…

Why Folarin Balogun chose to play for USMNT instead of ... - ESPN Monaco strikerFolarin Balogunannounced himself on the world stage on Friday night when he became the firstUnited Statesmen's national team player to score two goals in a World Cup match since the very first tournament in 1930. But the 24-year-old has only been playing for the USMNT for three years, having switched international allegiance away fromEngland, the country he was raised in. So why did Balogun make the switch, and why did he choose the USMNT overNigeria? Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents, but moved to the UK soon after and grew up in London, meaning that he was eligible to play for any of the three nations. "Where the story came from that he was in America until he was 2, I'll never know,"his mother Florence previously told ESPN. "I had him in July and by the end of August we were back in London." She has travelled to New York while seven months pregnant. The airline refused to let her travel home so she gave birth to her son in the U.S. "I don't believe things happened by luck," she said. "I think for me to have gone to America and for me to have had him there, it is just s…

Folarin Balogun Brace Powers USA to 4-1 World Cup Win Over Paraguay on ... Striker shines against Paraguay before revealing his low-key celebration plans Los Angeles: He netted twice on his World Cup debut but US striker Folarin Balogun is not about to celebrate wildly, telling reporters Friday he plans to finish his epic night by curling up in front of Netflix. Balogun's two first-half goals, including a sumptuous finish curled into the very top left corner of the Paraguay goal, got the co-hosts off to an ideal start to the tournament with a 4-1 win. "A real dream, you know? It's a dream, it's a dreamy night," he told reporters after. "I've not been able to take it all in afterwards... I'm sure when I get back to my hotel and I rest, I'm sure I'm going to really be able to be in the moment and experience how much of an amazing night this is." Asked what he will do to celebrate, he replied: "To be honest, I think I'll probably just, you know, watch some Netflix." Balogun was born in New York but moved to England as a one-month-old and raised in London. He has family across both nations, many of who were in attendance. "Too many, you know!" he joked, adding that he had been …

Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria ... United States' Folarin Balogun, center, celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Paraguay with teamates during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. Andre Penner/AP Photo/Andre Penner United States' Folarin Balogun (20) celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Paraguay with teamate Chris Richards during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. Andre Penner/AP Photo/Andre Penner United States' Folarin Balogun scores his side's second goal against Paraguay during a World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. Marcio J. Sanchez/AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez United States' Christian Pulisic (10) controls the ball as Paraguay's Andres Cubas (14) defends during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. Jayne Kamin-Oncea/AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea United States' Folarin Balogun (20) celebrates scoring his side's second goal against Paraguay during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewo…

Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria, scores two goals for U.S. in World Cup debut With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930

Former Arsenal Star Folarin Balogun Powers United States to Biggest ... Folarin Balogun scored twice as the United States thrashed Paraguay 4-1 in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup The former England youth international became only the second American player to score a World Cup brace after Bert Patenaude in 1930 Balogun's double helped the co-hosts secure their biggest World Cup winning margin since 1930 Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng! Folarin Balogun delivered a statement performance as the United States kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Paraguay. From a Nigerian perspective, the performance of the New York-born striker, whose parents are Nigerians, will once again spark conversations about what might have been had the former Arsenal academy graduate opted to represent the Super Eagles . Weston McKennie and captain Tim Ream celebrating with Folarin Balogun after scoring for the United States. Photo by FIFA Source: Getty Images Balogun struck twice as Mauricio Pochettino's men produced arguably the most impressive display of the tournament so far in front of their home supporters. The victory repres…

The USMNT was desperate to beat England to 'sign' Folarin Balogun. This ... USMNT Latest Folarin Balogun celebrates his goal vs. Senegal in a pre-World Cup friendlyJamie Squire / Getty Images Editor’s note: Folarin Balogun scored two goals for the USMNT vs. Paraguay in their 2026 World Cup opener,a rousing 4-1 win. The path to land the striker on which this U.S. men’s national team will entrust its World Cup goal-scoring hopes — and the playercaptain Tim Reamcalled “the most annoying striker for me to have to deal with in training” — started in March 2023 with American flag emojis and online sleuthing. Advertisement Beginning with Friday’sWorld Cup opener against Paraguay,Folarin Balogunwill be one of the USMNT’s most important contributors and perhaps the team’s breakout player of the tournament. His presence in a United States kit at this World Cup, though, may be due to the type of online recruiting push normally seen in major college sports. The Brooklyn-born, London-raised Balogun began exploring his American heritage on the soccer field a few years earlier, when he suited up for the U.S. under-18 national team. But as he saw his star begin to rise with a breakout 2022…

Folarin Balogun, who could have played for England or Nigeria, scores 2 ... United States’ Folarin Balogun, center, celebrates scoring his side’s third goal against Paraguay with teamates during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) United States’ Folarin Balogun (20) celebrates scoring his side’s third goal against Paraguay with teamate Chris Richards during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) United States’ Folarin Balogun (20) celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Paraguay during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) United States’ Folarin Balogun scores his side’s second goal against Paraguay during a World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Marcio J. Sanchez) United States’ Christian Pulisic (10) controls the ball as Paraguay’s Andres Cubas (14) defends during the World Cup Group D soccer match in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Friday, June 12…

Folarin Balogun and the joy of the global football Folarin Balogun, scorer of two goals on his World Cup debut, was born in Brooklyn to Nigerian parents after his pregnant mother, visiting her sister in America, was reportedly advised against flying back to Britain, where she lived at that time. In the more extreme corners of the MAGA universe, that would make Balogun an "anchor baby" – born to someone visiting the US. On Thursday night, he was simply called "Man of the Match" the undisputed hero of a squad that perfectly represents the beautiful, messy, borderless reality of modern soccer.

Why does Folarin Balogun play for the USMNT? Explaining the Share on Facebook Share on X Share on Reddit Copy Article Add us as a preferred source United States forward Folarin Balogun | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images For those new to soccer, FIFA's international eligibility rules can be tough to get your head around. Put succinctly, players can represent the nation in which they themselves, their parents or grandparents have been born in, or if they have lived continuously for at least five years in that country. Well, after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition, a key aspect of Gregg Berhalter's tenure in charge of the United States was recruiting dual-nationals . Many key members of Mauricio Pochettino's 2026 World Cup squad chose the U.S. rather than other nations. Selected dual-national USMNT World Cup 2026 squad members Sergiño Dest - Netherlands Antonee Robinson - England Malik Tillman - Germany Gio Reyna - England Álex Zendejas - Mexico Christian Pulisic - Croatia Tim Weah - France, Jamaica and Liberia Ricardo Pepi - Mexico Folarin Balogun - England and Nigeria Of this list, the recruit Team USA fans were most excited about was Folarin Balogun and rightly so. Born in New York C…