Folarin Balogun’s visit to Orlando during last month’s international break, which was scrutinized feverishly by American soccer fans following the striker’s social media breadcrumbs, ended without any public comment or commitment.
The 21-year-old, Brooklyn-born, England youth international (for now) visited the Orlando Magic and New York Yankees while in Florida. He had some unpublicized interaction with U.S. Soccer personnel, and then returned to France before the American men took the field against El Salvador on March 27.
But there’s reason to believe, despite the ensuing silence, that Balogun’s visit went well. The high-scoring Arsenal/Stade de Reims striker attached a U.S. flag emoji to his farewell instagram post, and USMNT interim manager Anthony Hudson confirmed Tuesday that there’s been some additional, follow-up contact between U.S. Soccer and Balogun’s camp.
“We had some very good conversations with Flo and his agent,” Hudson said. “Just sharing what we do—talk[ing] to him about where we see him in our team, allow[ing] him just to get a feel for the culture of the team and the guys. And the conversations were great—went really, really well. And then since him and his agent have gone back to Europe, there’s just been a couple of text messages.
“Now it’s down to him to make a decision,” Hudson concluded.
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The U.S. is scheduled to meet Mexico in an April 19 friendly in Glendale, Ariz. that’ll be played outside a FIFA window. The next official matches will come at the Concacaf Nations League final four. The Americans will face El Tri on June 15 in Las Vegas before the final or third-place game three days later. Hudson wouldn’t say Tuesday whether he planned to—or hoped to—invite Balogun to participate. To play, Balogun would have to apply for a permanent switch to the U.S. because he’s already appeared for England in UEFA youth tournaments. There would be no going back.
It could be a confounding crossroads for Balogun, who’s also eligible to represent Nigeria via his parents. The U.S., the country of his birth, is eager to bring him aboard. England, the country where he was raised, is flush with attacking talent and seems content to leave Balogun on the senior periphery for now. He has closer ties to England, obviously, and there’s more stability within that program at the moment (coach Gareth Southgate is signed through Euro 2024). But the U.S. is hosting a World Cup in three years and clearly is the more active suitor.
It’s been years since the U.S. fielded a reliable finisher up top. Former coach Gregg Berhalter never really solved the puzzle and left for Qatar without a healthy, in-form No. 9 who was scoring routinely at a high level. But Balogun is doing just that. On loan from Arsenal to Reims this season, he’s currently tied third in Ligue 1 with 17 goals, just two behind Canada’s Jonathan David and France star Kylian Mbappé. As of the recently-concluded international break, no player aged 21 or lower in any of Europe’s “big five” leagues was more prolific than Balogun.
That’s enough to send U.S. fans into a frenzy. The English, however, are a bit more reserved. After all, Ligue 1 isn’t the Premier League.
“It’s up to the player to weigh up where his heart feels. Is he prepared to wait a little bit for an opportunity if he backs himself and feels he can push his way into our squad? Because anybody who has followed us will know that we will give young players a chance,” Southgate told reporters during the FIFA break. “We cannot go and give first-team call-ups to someone just because we don't want them to go somewhere else.”
Southgate asked captain Harry Kane, Arsenal star Bukayo Saka and Manchester City’s Jack Grealish to be his primary attackers in the recent Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Italy and Ukraine (Leicester City’s James Maddison also played up front). Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford was out with an injury, while Brentford’s Ivan Toney made his Three Lions debut after netting 17 times for the Bees this season (he scored an 18th last weekend).
"We like Flo. He has obviously not had an opportunity in the Premier League yet, so we have to weigh up those goals to Ivan for example…,” Southgate added. “Ultimately, it does not matter what you say. If you cannot give them the opportunity now, then some people are patient and want to see it through and are prepared to wait a bit, and others want it now and I can totally understand that.”
Balogun wound up joining England’s U-21 team last month but soon pulled out with an injury and flew to Florida.
“In life, Go where your [sic] appreciated,” he posted on Instagram. It was interpreted by many as a sign of frustration that he wasn’t called up by Southgate. There are no more references to England on the account.
But Balogun is appreciated by England’s U-21s, at least. Coach Lee Carsley was scheduled to visit Balogun in Reims this month, according to reports. The UEFA U-21 championship is scheduled for June 21 to July 8 in Georgia and Romania. England last won the tournament in 1984.
"You’re always going to miss a player with that kind of ability and that knack of scoring a goal," Carsley told reporters. "Ultimately, he is going to have to make a decision. All we can do is tell him how much we rate him, how much we want to support him and the rest is down to him.”
While it may seem that June represents some sort of deadline, there’s nothing stopping Balogun from waiting this out. He could finish the Ligue 1 season with a flourish and give Southgate another chance. England’s senior squad has Euro qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia scheduled while the U.S. is in Vegas. From an American perspective, Hudson’s words suggest that the recruitment has concluded. The breadcrumbs suggest that Balogun might be nearing a decision.
“Of course I want to play international football at the highest level, in the World Cup,” Balogun told Sky Sports in a recent interview. “I want to compete at the highest level. I want to put myself in position where I’m performing in front millions of people.”
