Folarin Balogun was the hero for the USMNT as Mauricio Pochettino watched his side dismantle Paraguay in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Two goals from the former Arsenal striker fired the United States to a 4-1 win over Paraguay inside the SoFi Stadium, with Gio Reyna also netting for the hosts after Damian Bobadilla had opened the scoring with an own goal.
Balogun is currently the top scorer at the World Cup – but were it not for the intervention of an airline, the Monaco No.9 could well have been playing for England at the tournament instead.
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How an airline enabled Folarin Balogun to have US citizenship
The Telegraph have now shared an anecdote about the 24-year-old after his superb performance against Paraguay.
It is claimed that Balogun’s mother – Florence – went on holiday to New York in 2001 whilst heavily pregnant with the future USMNT star, with absolutely no intention of giving birth while in the United States.
However, when attempting to fly back from Brooklyn to London, Florence was stopped by the airline – who refused to let her travel due to the size of her belly.
Balogun ended up being born in Brooklyn as a result, where he stayed in Florence’s sister-in-law’s two-bedroom apartment for the first few months of his life before being allowed to fly back to London.
He then ended up impressing Arsenal and joining the Hale End academy in 2008 at the age of just seven, representing both England and the United States on the international scene at youth level across various age groups before eventually opting for the country in which he was born in May 2023 – despite playing 13 games for the England U21 side.
The striker quickly became a hero for the USMNT. Balogun scored in a 2-0 win over Canada in June 2023 to fire the United States to the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League title.
At the time of writing, the former Middlesbrough loanee can boast 11 goals in 28 appearances for the USMNT.
No player has scored twice in a World Cup game for the United States since 1930 until Balogun bagged two goals against Paraguay – ensuring history has already been made under Pochettino at this tournament.
What Folarin Balogun said about his decision to snub England and represent the United States
Explaining his decision to represent the United States in 2023, ESPN quote Balogun as saying: “When I broke the news to my family they were all just over the moon, especially my mom. She said, what took you so long?
“To represent the United States means a lot, more than people would know. I’m very proud and honoured to have this opportunity, and I want to give everything I have to make our team successful.”
Giving Balogun – who also had a goal ruled out for offside – the chance to represent the United States was never the intention for Florence, but millions of USMNT fans will be grateful for the intervention of that airline after his heroics against Paraguay.
- Full name: Folarin Jerry Balogun
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 3rd July 2001
- Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
- Nationality: American
- Place of birth: Brooklyn
- Club: Monaco
- Position: Striker
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