Fansided

Will Folarin Balogun make USMNT switch from England?

By Robert Wheeler

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Folarin Balogun of England in action during the International Friendly Match between England U21 and Germany U21 at Bramall Lane on September 27, 2022 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 27: Folarin Balogun of England in action during the International Friendly Match between England U21 and Germany U21 at Bramall Lane on September 27, 2022 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Folarin Balogun is embracing American culture, however, with a bit of patience, he could still represent the nation that he grew up in, England. 

When asked about Folarin Balogun in a press conference, the Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate was quoted in the Daily Mail saying:

"“It is 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. So, we cannot go and give first-team call-ups to someone just because we don’t want them to go somewhere else.”"

Could Folarin Balogun still represent England?

Balogun represented England all the way up to the U21 level where he has a good record of seven goals in 13 games. Although, he recently pulled out of the squad because of an ‘injury’ and was then seen training in Orlando. It remains to be seen if he will be a part of Lee Carsley’s squad for the European U-21 Championship this summer, following the events that transpired this International break.

Currently ahead of Balogun in the England senior team’s pecking order is their record goalscorer Harry Kane along with Marcus Rashford and Ivan Toney. Southgate also mentioned Ollie Watkins and Eddie Nketiah as other options. All of these forwards have proved they can score goals in the Premier League, so Balogun has a lot of competition when it comes to representing the Three Lions.

Is it time for him to switch to the USMNT?

Balogun is eligible to represent the United States having been born in New York. If he is to represent the U.S. men’s national team he would be their first-choice striker. Competing with him for a starting place would be Ricardo Pepi, Daryl Dike, Timothy Weah and Haji Wright. All of these forwards are playing in Europe but none have shown the form that Balogun has for Reims this season.

In a recent U.S. Soccer press conference, Christian Pulisic revealed that the USMNT “would love to have him” when asked about Balogun. The USA is definitely showing Balogun a lot of love which could sway his decision to represent them ahead of England. The player is also eligible to play for Nigeria but they have Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, so would likely play second fiddle to him with the African side.

Where will he be playing his club football next season?

Balogun’s loan at Reims expires at the end of this season. He is likely to want to test himself at a higher level and has been linked with big clubs across Europe including AC Milan. If he is serious about representing England though then he needs to prove himself in the Premier League. He might get a chance at his parent club Arsenal but a move to another team in the division could be his best bet when it comes to proving himself at the highest level.

Home/Soccer