For a long time, the yank faithful could agree on one thing. The lack of a definite goal scorer has cost the USMNT at important times. They scored just 3 goals in 4 games at the Qatar World Cup, and struggled to put the ball in the back of the net during qualifying. That problem seems to have been solved, with English/American dual national Folarin Balogun. After Fabrizio Romano broke the news, he officially announced the news with this social media post:
LET’S MAKE HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/DIsf0tCYVY
— Balogun (@balogun) May 16, 2023
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Balogun is on loan from Arsenal, to french side Reims, and is their top goal scorer, and 6th overall in the league. His 19 goals are more than the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar. He brings a knack for scoring goals that the US Men’s National Team hasn’t seen in a long time. He’s pacy, technical on the ball, and can finish at all levels. His natural ability to score goals will take some of the load off the guys like Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, and Giovanni Reyna, and will allow them to play their natural positions. It will certainly make for a lethal attack.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJgCety7hVs?feature=oembed&w=640&h=360]
And now, having Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, and Brandon Vasquez as depth pieces, all of a sudden, the striker position is a strength. The 21 year old is just another bright young star to an XI already filled with exciting youth. The potential starting lineup will certainly have Concacaf, and even some major European threats worried:
THIS POTENTIAL USMNT XI WITH FOLARIN BALOGUN
pic.twitter.com/epgTSHhhNU
— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) May 16, 2023
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The Nations League semi-final in Las Vegas in June could be the first time we see Balogun in all of his glory, and it would be against biggest rivals Mexico. What a moment that would be for a US debut.
The USMNT recently hired Matt Crocker as its Sporting Director, and Oguchi Onyewu as VP of Sporting, and still need a head coach. That search should become a little easier with Folarin Balogun. If this young team wasn’t already intriguing enough, the addition of a bonafide goal scorer should make that job even more appealing.
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