Folarin Balogun could have played for any one of three countries. He chose the United States, and it paid off with a splashy World Cup debut on home soil.
The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium.
‘A very dreamy night’
“I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that,” Balogun said. “A very dreamy night.”
With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first USA player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Back then, Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in a 3-0 USA win over Paraguay, the first hat trick in World Cup history.
“The kid’s insane,” teammate Christian Pulisic said. “He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.” “Everyone will look at the goals,” Pulisic said, “but the way he’s fighting against these center backs, holding up the ball, getting fouls, I really like it.”
Balogun committed to play for the USA three years ago. “I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support. The most important thing has always been to be able to repay that,” he said. “I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”
Among the crowd were Balogun’s relatives, with extended family watching around the USA and in London. “I was able to spot them out in the crowd, but it was tough because so many fans were wearing red and white,” he said. “I had to sort a lot of tickets, but I’m happy to do it because this is a once in a lifetime occasion and I want everyone to experience it.”
Own goal by Bobadilla
The USA took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Damian Bobadilla. Balogun extended the lead to 2-0 when Christian Pulisic played the ball into the box to set up Balogun with his 21st career assist. That tied Pulisic for fourth most in USA history.
Minutes earlier, Balogun nearly had another goal, but it was called back when the USA was offside. Undeterred, Balogun scored again just before half-time, putting the ball in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead.
“I’ve not been able to take it all in,” he said.
11No of goals scored by Folarin Balogun in 28 appearances for USA
3No of years since Folarin Balogun joined the USA national team
