Folarin Balogun has been a cause of excitement for U.S. Soccer fans over the past few weeks, months, and maybe even years for those who have been closely tracking the dual national’s citizenship. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Balogun was raised in England and rose up the ranks at Arsenal’s famed Hale End Youth Academy. He had been a member of England Youth Squads at the U17, U18, U20 and U21 Level. He had also represented the USA for a brief period at the U18 Level in 2018. On loan at Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims this season, Balogun has scored 20 goals in 31.3 Ligue 1 90s. This makes him the first American to score 20+ goals in a Top 5 European League (we’re counting it). Whether you are an American Soccer fan, an Arsenal fan, or a fan of rising prospects in soccer, Balogun has been a promising player thus far, and he has shown serious potential this season at Reims.
It is an important point of emphasis to account for the strengths and weaknesses of the current United States Men’s National Team (USMNT). They have three high-level (yet incredibly injury-prone) versatile attackers in Pulisic, Reyna and Weah. Their center midfielders were solid contributors to the USMNT’s 2022 World Cup campaign, with eye-catching performances from the likes of Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and especially Tyler Adams. The jury is still out on the defense as Sergiño Dest and Antonee Robinson are gifted attackers but not necessarily the strongest off the ball. While Tim Ream had an excellent World Cup, his age prevents him from being a realistic option for the future, and the handful of partners played alongside him in the center of defense have been far from convincing. Say what you want about each position, but the #9 is the one position where the United States lacks a current option that could successfully play in a Top 5 League. This is where Balogun fits into the puzzle.
Balogun played a solid 10 games in the Championship on loan at Middlesborough last season, contributing 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 starts, with a non-penalty expected goals plus assists (npxG+xA) of 0.5 per 90. This was impressive for a 20-year-old in his first season in professional football, let alone, his first season in the English Championship. In Ligue 1 this season, he has scored 20 goals and recorded .73 npxG+xA, which is currently 5th in Ligue 1 behind only Mbappé, Messi, Neymar and Loïs Openda. Simply put, that’s world-class company. In terms of Europe’s Top 5 Leagues, he is 19th in npxG+xA, while being 5th in Europe’s Top 5 Leagues for players 23 or under only behind Darwin Núñez, Haaland, Openda and Rodrygo. This bodes very well for him, however, there are other parts of his game that need development. He currently averages 17.3 passes per 90 with only 68.8% completion rate. This will need to improve, no matter where he is playing next season. However, his ability to find high-quality shot opportunities as a youngster has been very promising, and when he plays against better opposition next season, his ability to generate these chances will be an important part of his growth and success as a player.
Something important about Balogun is how valuable this kind of player could be in the future, in both club and international football. Pure number 9’s are becoming less common in the sport, the likes of Zlatan, Lewandowski and Immobile are all very close to the end of their career. Even Harry Kane is turning 30 this summer. There are only a few players of this nature that can be seen as pure number 9’s. Players that come to mind are often Tammy Abraham, Ollie Watkins, and Ivan Toney who are all in the 25-27 age bracket. Obviously Haaland is Haaland, Victor Osimhen has had a massively impressive career thus far, and Jonathan David and Darwin Núñez have been very promising in their young careers as well. Balogun is hovering somewhere along this tier with Ligue 1 striker Luis Openda. Arsenal seem ready to cash in on him this summer, and that may be because his lack of passing volume does not reflect what Arsenal need in their striker. If he leaves, however, his next club is will be thrilled if he can continue this high-level shot contribution. Balgoun may have a very big career ahead of him, and he still has tools that need to be developed, but what has been seen of him so far should be plenty of encouragement for U.S. Soccer fans to look forward to for their new striker.