Daksh Vijay

USMNT Fans React as Folarin Balogun Peaks Ahead Of World Cup

2026 FIFA World Cup, Folarin Balogun, USMNT

The USMNT has been one of the teams that, over the last few decades, has faced its fair share of ups and downs. From failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup due to a loss against Trinidad and Tobago to their most recent Gold Cup against Mexico. It’s a team that has been in transition for quite a few years now, and during that time period has delivered quite a few unpredictable performances.

Fans have debated what the main issue has been, from many claiming a lack of a defensive structure to a lot of blame being pushed onto coaches like Gregg Berhalter and Bruce Arena for their ineffective tactics. However, one glaring issue that they have faced for nearly a decade or so has been the lack of a consistent elite goalscorer up front.

The issue was not faced by them for quite a while when the positions were occupied by veterans Bobby Wood and Clint Dempsey. Clint Dempsey, in particular, is arguably the US’s greatest as the forward is their joint top scorer (tied with Landon Donovan) with 57 goals in 141 matches. He also provided 21 assists as well.

After Dempsey’s retirement in August 2018, the US have struggled to find a consistent No.9 with the ability to score goals.

The attempt to transition in 2018 was extremely poor, as potential replacements such as Jozy Altidore and Josh Sargent were injured, and uncertainties around coaches didn’t help either.

The question raised its head again in 2022, when the US, before and during the World Cup, had a large pool of strikers to take their pick from. Players like Ricardo Pepi, Gyazi Zardes and Jesus Ferreira all were seen gunning for the starting spot. However, the plan again did not work out as injuries to Josh Sargent and Jesus Ferreira saw them ruled out of the World Cup. Ricardo Pepi, who was seen as a promising talent, saw his form dip due to a lack of playing time at the club level.

It was clear the US needed a solution. The necessity for a striker was so much that the US fans deemed the search for a striker as tough as the search for the Holy Grail. Yes, the very same one from Indiana Jones.

Cut to 2026. We are within touching distance of the World Cup, and the US fans have the same question on their lips. Who will be the main man up front for us? Luckily for them, the answer seems to be a lot clearer this time. Folarin Balogun.

The striker has 14 goals and 3 assists in 33 games for Monaco in Ligue 1. The New York-born striker’s contributions have seen Monaco sit 6th in the league table and are within touching distance of even the Champions League spots.

Balogun’s discovery is nothing new, as the youngster’s immense potential has been discussed since 2023.

It’s just that Balogun has truly bloomed this season and finally lived up to the expectations. His numbers and his performances against big teams, especially PSG, have seen him truly stand out.

The US fans have made their emotions about his performances clear. They believe in him, and they clearly hope that the striker can translate these performances onto the biggest stage for his country come the summer.

The US fans are no doubt excited about the potential of their team this time around. The most important metric for players who play in Europe has never been higher for them. Take Haji Wright, the striker for Coventry City. The forward has scored 16 goals in the Championship and is set to be the main man to take them to the Premier League next season. The US will be resting hopes on him for that coveted No. 9 spot as well.

Haji Wright isn’t the only player for the US who is playing with extremely good form in Europe. Weston McKennie at Juventus, Antonee Robinson at Fulham, and Chris Richards at Crystal Palace have all delivered performances this season that will give the US fans hope for the defence and Midfield being a much more solid showing this time around.

It is, of course, unfortunate that Haji Wright, Sergino Dest and Tyler Adams will not be called up for the preliminary friendlies against Belgium and Portugal due to injury. The fans will be hoping for consistency from them once they come back and hope for a better World Cup campaign.

With names like Balogun and Wright expected on their teamsheet, the US fans will hope that the pattern of uncertainty and injuries will not repeat itself and that search for the elsuive “holy grail” has finally come to an end.

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