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Folarin Balogun: Winners and losers from his switch to the USMNT

Folarin Balogun's decision on his international allegiance is a massive boost for the USMNT; the on-loan Reims star had previously also been eligible to pick England or Nigeria; he has already made his senior debut for the Stars and Stripes

By Abel Folgar

Balogun's great form at Reims will benefit the USMNT
Balogun's great form at Reims will benefit the USMNT / John Dorton/USSF/GettyImages
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Already lauded as one of the biggest recruiting coups the USMNT has pulled by sports media, the addition of exciting young striker Folarin Balogun brings a lot of promise to a national team that has struggled over the last decade to secure a reliable goal scorer.

Balogun, who was born to Nigerian parents in New York before emigrating to England at two years of age, could also have opted for England or Nigeria having already been capped for a few of the youth divisions for the Three Lions.

Balogun scored 22 goals in 38 matches while on loan with Ligue 1 side Reims from Arsenal and his international decision is of consequence not only to the US but elsewhere around the world.

Here are the big winners and losers from the striker's decision.

Winners

The USMNT

Folarin Balogun
Balogun has made his USMNT bow / John Dorton/USSF/GettyImages

This is a solid coup for a nation with a large pool of players to pick from within its own borders.

Yes, the USMNT is clearly the winner here and because of the nature of said coup, all eyes will be on interim coach Brian Callaghan this summer as he guides the lads through the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Finals and Balogun in a very young cadre of forwards at his disposal.

But could it have been his four caps under Tab Ramos in the USMNT U18 squad back in 2018 that piqued his interest? He did score twice during the four matches he played at the Václav Ježek Youth Tournament in Czechia.

Losers

Nigeria

Jose Peseiro
Peseiro may have wanted Balogun up front for Nigeria / Carlos Rodrigues/GettyImages

Nigeria has some reliable power up front with veteran striker Ahmed Musa and Napoli's Victor Osimhen but the majority of players available to Portuguese manager José Peseiro will be aging or out of form by the time the 2026 World Cup rolls around.

Their U20 squad earned a third-place spot in the recent Egypt 2023 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament with Ibrahim Muhammad and Jude Sunday tallying two goals a piece from the total of seven scored in six matches.

England

Harry Kane
England will need to replace Kane eventually / Mike Hewitt/GettyImages

As far as England is concerned, can Harry Kane really last forever?

They lose in the sense that they could use someone with Balogun’s talents to ignite a current striker corps that includes Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford among others.

The Three Lions had it easy in the Qatar World Cup, flying through their Group B fixtures with relative ease before thumping a deflated Senegal in the last 16. However, it all fell apart in the quarterfinals facing the defending champs France.

One thing is for sure; a relatively young USMNT squad will do very well with Balogun, who could potentially be that elusive Clint Dempsey replacement they’ve been seeking for so long.

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