Many new soccer fans learned the name “Folarin Balogun” on Friday, after the U.S. men’s national team striker scored two goals—and nearly three—in a historic 4–1 thrashing of Paraguay in its FIFA World Cup opener at SoFi Stadium.
The 24-year-old’s brace set the stage not only for the Stars and Stripes’ first-ever four-goal win at soccer’s most prestigious tournament, but also a summer in the States that is bound to be magical should the team continue to play with such dominance.
Ironically, Balogun brings just as much excitement to the fans when he narrowly misses the net as when he actually scores. There’s something about a near-miss for the striker that sends him into a thrilling overdrive, often scoring just minutes later to settle his dissatisfaction. He is quickly becoming the American star on home soil, but in a not-so-alternate world, he would not be American at all.
Balogun’s Accidental U.S. Birth
Balogun was born in the U.S. by accident back in 2001. His parents, Florence and Ben, are Nigerian and were living in London, but just happened to be vacationing in New York City over the summer. His mother was seven months pregnant at the time, and when she went up to board her flight back home to London, the airline staff stopped her and informed her she was too pregnant to travel. Florence could not get the requisite medical clearance to make back home in time, ultimately birthing Balogun in Brooklyn on July 3.
The infant was automatically given U.S. citizenship, due to the country’s birthright citizenship laws, which state that any person born in the United States is an American, regardless of their parentage. “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside,” reads the 14th amendment to the U.S. constitution, something U.S. President Donald Trump is currently trying to rewrite and has aggressive campaigned against.
On the very first day of his second presidential term, back in January 2025, Trump signed executive order 14160, stating that individuals born on U.S. soil are not automatically extended U.S. citizenship if, one, “that person’s mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth,” or two, if “that person’s mother’s presence in the United States at the time of said person’s birth was lawful but temporary (such as, but not limited to, visiting the United States under the auspices of the Visa Waiver Program or visiting on a student, work, or tourist visa) and the father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person’s birth.”
The latter of the two circumstances applied to young Balogun’s birth.
Several civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, and federal courts have since repeatedly blocked the implementation of the executive order, suing the administration on the basis that it violates the Constitution and Supreme Court precedent. Therefore, the executive order is not currently in effect.
Nevertheless, Trump remains adamant in his disapproval of certain aspects of birthright citizenship. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments as recently as April and has yet to issue a final ruling on birthright citizenship, which is expected by the end of June or early July, per the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Had what Trump is proposing been in effect at the time of Balogun’s birth, the star striker would have never been able to represent the USMNT, and the match against Paraguay may have turned out quite differently.
Although Balogun grew up in London, traveling back across the Atlantic when he was just two months old; trained with Arsenal’s youth academies throughout his childhood; and even competed with England’s youth teams through age 21, he ultimately decided to compete for the USMNT. His application to switch representation was approved by FIFA in 2023, and he made his debut for the squad less than a month later in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League Finals. He hasn’t looked back since.
“I feel like today was a great opportunity to continue to show the fans I made the right decision [to choose the US],” Balogun said post-match on Friday. “I am completely proud, I want to continue to make the fans proud as well.”
