Folarin Balogun has spent this World Cup doing something most strikers only dream of: keeping pace with the biggest names in the sport. Two goals through two games have put the USMNT forward in the thick of the Golden Boot conversation, right alongside Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Erling Haaland. For Balogun, watching those three put up numbers nearly every time out has been a strange mix of admiration and irritation.
Speaking to reporters at the USMNT's training base on Monday, Balogun was candid about his ambitions. Watching the world's best players light up the tournament, he admitted, is both inspiring and "annoying". "Seeing players like Messi, Mbappe, Haaland, they're so inevitable," Balogun said. "For me, it's just about trying to get to that level, to be inevitable as well, to be consistent. And I'm sure I've got the potential in me to do that".
It's hard to argue with the early evidence. Balogun scored twice against Paraguay in the USMNT's opener and then turned provider against Australia, setting up what became an own goal off Cameron Burgess. Two games, a direct hand in three goals, a kind of form that gets a striker mentioned in the same breath as the game's biggest stars, even if Balogun is too grounded to say so himself.
The complication is a yellow card picked up earlier in the group stage, which now hangs over his head ahead of Thursday's meaningless-on-paper finale. The USMNT has already secured its spot in the knockout rounds and topped Group D, a position of strength that presents a pleasant but tricky dilemma for manager Mauricio Pochettino. With a dead-rubber match against Turkey looming on Thursday, the natural instinct is to rest key players. For Balogun, this is complicated by a yellow card picked up in the previous game against Australia. Another booking against Turkey would see him suspended for the crucial Round of 32 clash in Santa Clara.
"I want to play every game, that's the sort of player I am," Balogun stated. "The most important thing for a professional athlete in any sport is to be available. I'm no different, so, of course, I want to play. But it's also important to be smart. I wouldn't want to pick up a yellow card and miss the round of 32".
He's not alone in that boat, as Antonee Robinson, Chris Richards, and Tyler Adams are also carrying cautions, making wholesale rotation against Turkiye almost a certainty for Mauricio Pochettino. Christian Pulisic, back in full training Monday after a nervy injury scare last week, could also be eased back in gradually rather than rushed.
While the players focus on the pitch, a defining moment of the tournament for the USMNT has been the fans belting out "Take Me Home, Country Roads" after victories. The story behind the anthem is one of careful planning. FIFA asked each team to submit a playlist of songs, and U.S. Soccer worked with players to select tunes that were both representative of America and great for sing-alongs. The final choice came down to Amy Hopfinger, a former U.S. Soccer employee and current FIFA executive, who decided to play the John Denver classic after the team's opening win. It immediately became a fan favorite, turning post-match celebrations into a sea of voices.
For now, the team is trying to stay grounded even as the hype reaches a fever pitch. "Weston's been showing me videos of fans in different parts, watching the games on some big screens, in bars and stuff. Every time we score, they're celebrating in different places," Balogun said. "I think once we're out of it, and I don't know, kind of getting on with our daily lives, I think we'll be able to see the impact we've made. It's a beautiful thing".
Folarin Balogun is aiming to hit Messi, Mbappe, and Haaland levels, despite the possibility of missing the Turkiye game
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