Folarin Balogun scored twice as the USA made World Cup history with a 4-1 win over Paraguay at home in Los Angeles. But even before the celebrations settled, his unusual backstory—tied to his mother being barred from leaving the US due to pregnancy—became the
The night started like a celebration and turned into a record. In Los Angeles, the USA pushed Paraguay aside 4-1 on opening night of this home World Cup—partly because Folarin Balogun made his debut impossible to ignore.
It wasn’t just another match. It was the sort of performance that rewrites what supporters thought was possible. Never before had this USA team scored four goals in a World Cup game. and not since 1930 had any American player managed more than one goal in a single World Cup match. Balogun carried that weight early and let it show in the numbers.
He scored the USA’s second and third goals as the Americans built control against Paraguay. The forward could have added a first-half hat-trick as well, only for an offside flag to interrupt what looked headed toward another highlight reel moment.
After fulltime, the mood was unmistakably bright. Manager Mauricio Pochettino looked delighted as his team celebrated in Los Angeles, and Balogun was supported by a squad that rose to the occasion in front of a 70,000-strong crowd that included many of his family.
Balogun, born in New York in July 2001, said his emotions were still catching up with the reality of what happened. Asked how he would toast a remarkable World Cup debut. he answered in the simplest terms—first. he had to pass doping control. Then he smiled and said, ‘To be honest, I think I’ll probably just watch some Netflix.’.
When the conversation returned to the game itself, he tried to put words around the shock of it. ‘It’s a dream. A dreamy night,’ Balogun said. ‘I’ve not been able to take it all in… I’m sure when I get back to my hotel and I rest. I’m sure I’m going to really be able to be in the moment and experience how much of an amazing night this is.’.
He had visualised debut success—‘I visualized my debut in the World Cup [and] scoring’—but what arrived was more than he imagined. ‘But the reality did surpass that with scoring two goals. And the second goal was a fantastic goal as well. So a very dreamy, dreamy night.’
The second goal mattered in the moment. It also mattered later—because Balogun’s story didn’t stay inside the stadium.
Over on Truth Social, discussion spread quickly, and Donald Trump wasn’t normally shy about offering his take on sport. Yet in the hours before he posted. he was busy discussing peace talks with Iran. the UFC and the ‘execution’ of a Venezuelan drug trafficker. Then, shortly before 11am in Washington, the shift arrived.
Trump’s message was direct: ‘Congratulations to Team USA on their Big Win, 4-1, over a very good Paraguay team. Keep it going!’ For once, he kept his focus on the match.
But the link between Balogun and the larger American debate was already being pulled. In the hours since he lit up Los Angeles. social media filled with people wading into what Balogun’s background means for America—and why his goals came at a time when Trump is attempting to alter rules around birthright citizenship.
The irony that people rushed to point out is clear: Balogun’s debut arrived amid political arguments about who counts as American. Yet the details of his pathway matter too. Balogun’s eligibility to play for the United States was shaped by something that happened to his mother long before any football spotlight existed.
His mother was blocked from flying back to the United Kingdom because she was too pregnant. Within weeks, the family returned to London, where Balogun grew up and fell in love with football. That airline decision is described as the twist that changed the terms of his citizenship path—and years later. it played a role in his sporting identity.
Balogun became eligible to play for the United States and, three years ago, he chose the Stars and Stripes over England and Nigeria, where his parents were from. Even though he mostly represented England at youth level, the decision was his: the striker chose the USMNT.
That decision didn’t come by accident either. In 2023, US Soccer players and officials went on a recruitment mission to Balogun. The charm offensive included dinners, an invite to Yankees spring training, courtside seats to the NBA, and a VIP pass to Universal. It worked.
‘The kid is insane,’ Christian Pulisic said. ‘We’re really lucky to have him. And let’s just hope it keeps coming like this.’
Balogun’s soccer journey has been just as dramatic as the citizenship subplot. He joined Arsenal aged eight and rose through the academy before making the bold decision to leave and join Monaco in France’s top division. By the time he arrived in Los Angeles. the Monaco striker already had the kind of international polish that makes big-stage moments feel inevitable.
He also carried confidence from his coaches and the team’s belief. Ahead of the World Cup, Trump told Mauricio Pochettino’s players: ‘I think you have a really good chance of going all the way.’
Balogun heard the talk, but his own message sounded like something earned through matches rather than slogans. ‘It’s important to take each game at a time,’ he insisted. ‘But of course, Poch has said many times: “Why not us?” We have to believe. You can’t do anything if you don’t believe in yourself.’.
He wasn’t trying to dodge the symbolism surrounding his goals, either. When he discussed the crowd and the moment, Balogun sounded genuinely grateful—especially that family and friends were watching from multiple time zones.
‘Too many,’ the striker joked when asked about tickets. ‘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. I have family also all over the States watching and back home in London.’
Still, for all the chatter, Balogun didn’t join the political noise directly. He didn’t mention his mother’s story in the immediate aftermath of the game, and the match itself is what he kept returning to: a performance, a response, a promise.
His mother, Florence, had previously told ESPN, ‘I don’t believe things happened by luck.’ She said that even when Balogun wasn’t thinking of making an international decision, she already had made up her mind that he would play for America.
For Balogun, the focus now is football—and the next opponent. The USMNT, with the 4-1 win over Paraguay, has one foot in the knockout stages. But Australia and Turkey still stand in the way.
That’s where this story could yet change shape. After a night like this, it’s tempting to declare the plot finished. Balogun knows better.
‘The job is not done,’ he said in effect through the way he talked about what comes next. ‘I’ve always said, the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support,’ he continued. ‘For me. the most important thing has always been to repay that… I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision [choosing the US].’.
He ended with a promise that feels personal, not performative: ‘I’m completely proud, and I want to continue to make the fans proud as well.’
Balogun will turn 25 midway through this World Cup. By then. he’ll have had time to see whether the records hold—and whether the debate around him fades into the background or sticks for the entire tournament. For now. the scoreboard says the US is awake. and Balogun’s two goals in Los Angeles are the spark everyone can’t stop talking about.
Folarin Balogun USA vs Paraguay 4-1 World Cup SoFi Stadium Mauricio Pochettino Christian Pulisic Monaco Arsenal USMNT Australia Turkey Trump birthright citizenship