Folarin Balogun has made quite the splash in Ligue 1 this season and he's now set to make his presence felt on the international stage.
The 21-year-old striker has made the jump to top level football with ease, bagging goal after goal in France with Reims and becoming a regular with the England Under-21s. However, the young star won't be turning out for the Three Lions after making a decision on his national allegiance.
Here's how and why Balogun chose the USMNT over England.
Why has Folarin Balogun chosen the USMNT over England?
Balogun, who is on loan to French side Reims from Arsenal, has chosen the represent the USMNT after months of speculation that he would file the one-time switch. Balogun will be eligible for the USMNT's upcoming match against Mexico on June 15th.
Balogun, an Arsenal youth product, was born in New York City to Nigerian parents who later migrated to England when he was just two years old.
He has played for both the US and England at the youth level, scoring seven goals in 13 appearances for England's U21 side.
During the March international break, Balogun met with US officials in Orlando to discuss his potential future for the Stars and Stripes. In that meeting, the 21-year expressed his interest in committing to the US for the long term.
"My decision to represent the United States, it came together with my family. We decided it would be the right thing for me, to represent the country I was born in. In the end it became a no-brainer, but for sure, it’s just something I wanted to do and it feels like I’m at home here," Bologun told USoccer.com
"To represent the United States means a lot, more than people would know. I’m very proud and honored to have this opportunity, and I want to give everything I have to make our team successful."
When can Folarin Balogun make his USMNT debut?
Though the US has several options at striker, including Brandon Vazquez, Jesus Ferreira, Josh Sargent and Ricardo Pepi, Balogun will have a good chance at being called up to the next camp, given the lack of a consistent number nine in the national team fold.
The USMNT will play their next competitive match against Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final.
When asked about his first camp with the team, Balogun said he was excited to get to work.
"Luckily for me, my first time is going to be in a competitive tournament so of course the ambition is to win and there’s not really much more to it. I’m going to have the opportunity to get in and train with the boys, but for sure it’s just straight down to business when we head to Vegas."
USMNT's remaining 2023 schedule
Folarin Balogun's 2022/23 season so far
While Reims are only 11th in Ligue 1, few players have scored more goals than Balogun in France's top flight.
The striker has netted 19 times so far, with only Kylian Mbappe (26), Alexandre Lacazette (25), Jonathan David (21) and Habib Diallo (20) scoring more. He enjoyed a run of six goals in five games from late December to early February, including a hat-trick in a 4-2 victory over Lorient.
This article was originally published on 90min as When can Folarin Balogun make his USMNT debut?.
