Brooklyn-born Folarin Balogun was the missing piece USMNT so badly needed for World Cup 2026

When he thinks back on that fateful trip to Orlando, Fla., Folarin Balogun talks first about the fans.The ones in his social media comments dropping American flags on every post.The ones in his hotel and around the city telling him to come play for the U.S.

men’s national team.Social media sleuths had used the background mural of an Instagram post to trace his location to Orlando, and Balogun had turned into the main character of a national team window months before he’d even decided to represent the country of his birth.“That was motivating ’cause it shows how people say soccer’s not a big thing over here.

I do think it is,” Balogun said.“There’s millions of fans.

It’s just about creating the exposure to make it something more global, but there definitely is a big fanbase.I really felt that.”In large part because he did, Balogun gave the USMNT an answer to a problem that had hung over it for years.Four years ago, the U.S.

scored just three goals in four games at the 2022 World Cup, exiting with a Round of 16 loss to the Netherlands.The U.S.

started Josh Sargent at striker twice, Jesús Ferreira once and a duo of Haji Wright and Tim Weah up top.Wright and Weah are part of the team this year, though Weah is hardly a striker.Ferreira and Sargent never looked like real options to be part of this team — their production had long since fallen off.The position was a problem throughout the 2022 cycle.

This year, it is viewed as something of a strength.Wright, it should be said, looks more reliable now.Ricardo Pepi, one of the last cuts from the 2022 team, is coming off a breakout year at PSV Eindhoven and is a much-improved player.

But so much of the reason the U.S.can feel comfortable about the position is down to Balogun.The 24-year-old, who plies his trade at Monaco in France’s Ligue 1, is the sort of player the national team has wanted — needed — for years: a pure No.

9 who knows how to float into space, run in behind defenders and f...