The Folarin Balogun saga is over, and the on-loan Arsenal striker has made his choice, he is representing the United States at the international level. Folarin Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York but his family moved to England at an early age.
Balogun would eventually find his way on the Arsenal youth teams and would kick off his career playing on loan to Middlesbrough and now at Reims in France. This season in Ligue 1, the striker has an impressive 20 goals in 36 games and is one of the league’s top strikers.
The US Soccer Federation has worked tirelessly to secure the striker, after Balogun had already played on the England and US youth national teams. An excited Balogun uploaded a video on social media showcasing he is ready for the challenge.
Why the USMNT over the Three Lions?
That is the question many have been asking themselves, in recent years the US program has been able to lure excellent dual nationals, such as Yunus Musah and Sergiño Dest. On Twitter the Reims striker stated, “LET’S MAKE HISTORY!”
In a statement issued by US Soccer, Balogun stated why he chose the USMNT, “We decided it would be the right thing for me, to represent the country I was born in. In the end it became a no-brainer, but for sure, it’s just something I wanted to do and it feels like I’m at home here.”
The game changes completely for the USMNT with Balogun in the cards, the program has struggled to find a consistent striker for the better part of 6 years. At the World Cup, the USMNT played a total of three strikers during the tournament and along the way played up to 7 number 9’s during the lead up to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.