Folarin Balogun has been spotted in Orlando, Florida as the USMNT eligible striker being in the USA has caused quite a stir among the American fanbase.
He posted a photo on social media which shows he is near the USMNT’s training camp in Florida and he has since been in and around Orlando ahead of the USMNT’s game against El Salvador there on Monday.
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Balogun, 21, has scored 17 goals in France’s top-flight for Reims this season as his loan spell from Arsenal has gone incredibly well and only Jonathan David and Kylian Mbappe have scored more goals than him in Ligue 1 so far in 2022-23.
USMNT interim head coach Anthony Hudson was asked about Balogun being nearby to the training base and confirmed talks have been held: “We’ve had a dialogue. He is out here [in Orlando] having a bit of a break and training. We’ve had some discussions. It’s now just about him enjoying the rest of his trip… It has been an opportunity for us to share about our program, and that’s it. I hope we speak again.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Balogun it is believed he will watch the USMNT play against El Salvador in Orlando on Monday as he continues his talks with US Soccer and assesses his options.
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What are the chances he selects USMNT?
Internationally he is eligible to play for the USA, England and Nigeria and he has represented England’s youth teams in recent years and has previously played for the USA at the U18 level.
Balogun was expected to play for the Three Lions during this international break as he is England’s main goalscoring threat at the U21 level (coach Lee Carsley explains that below) but he pulled out of their squad due to injury.
He may have used that unexpected window of opportunity to fly to Orlando to meet with US Soccer representatives to discuss his potential future with the USMNT. So, will he switch his international allegiance?
Arsenal teammate and USMNT’s starting goalkeeper Matt Turner had this to say when asked about Balogun.
“Yeah, he’d be a great addition to our national team. I think he’s done really well, obviously, for his club on loan, and we’ll see. The decision has to come from the heart, because it’s not necessarily an easy task always, to come and play in these CONCACAF games, and it’s a tough region at times. So for us, we’d be really grateful to have him, but his heart needs to be in it,” Turner said.
What does he think?
Balogun has spoken about this topic before Pro Soccer Talk asked him about his international future in an interview at the beginning of last season.
We asked Balogun if other Arsenal academy graduates like Yunus Musah and Bukayo Saka being in similar situations has led to them discussing how they made their decision on which country to represent and if that would help him decide who he plays for internationally.
“I haven’t spoken to any of them about the nationality situation,” Balogun said. “Even from just the way I’ve known them, it is not something they have put a lot of pressure on themselves about. I think it is a decision that comes naturally to them.
“I think I’m going to do the same and hopefully something will just come to me and then I will make a decision… I don’t want to put too much pressure on the situation. It is just something that will just come to me.”
Maybe that feeling will come to him while he is in the Orlando area over the next few days.
Folarin Balogun to USMNT? Discussions with US Soccer confirmed originally appeared on NBCSports.com