Home

Soccer

“He Is a Position of Need” – USMNT Legend Divulges on French League Top-Scorer Folarin Balogun’s Chances of Playing for USA

Published 02/04/2023, 6:00 AM EST

Follow Us

via Imago

USMNT is scrambling to put together a squad that can present good results in upcoming tournaments. About a week ago, CONMEBOL announced that the States will be hosting the 2024 edition of Copa America. Apart from testing the preparation and seeing if the team is presenting any significant challenges, the tournament will also help USMNT to prepare the blueprint for the 2026 World Cup. FIFA has already paved the way for the USMNT to recruit Alejandro Zendejas, the wonder boy of the Mexican League. However, USMNT fans are excited about another prospect that is open to recruiting.

USMNT had a good group stage run in the 2022 Qatar World cup. However, since the USA will host the next edition, along with Canada and Mexico, fans are having high hopes of USMNT making a deep playoff run. The pressure is on the team to ensure the longevity of the sport in the country.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Lalas talks about the latest potential prospect

Even USMNT legend Alexi Lalas couldn’t stop himself from talking about the Ligue 1 top scorer. Lalas talked about Ligue 1 wonder Folarin Balogun and how he is eligible to be recruited by the USMNT in his podcast. Balogun talked about how, despite soccer not being a major sport in the states, coaches, and management know-how to recruit athletes.

Alexi Lalas said, “Look, you know we come from a culture that does understand recruitment, right? While soccer isn’t king, everybody can understand the importance of recruitment. But, I mean sometimes it is literally that. It’s like show them that you care… So, all right well, I mean he is a goal scorer. He is a position of need and he can play for the US.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Soccer stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Read More: “Let Me Just Put This to Rest” – American Soccer Legend Trashes Mexican Team as He Calls Them 10X ‘Worse’ Than ‘Dysfunctional’ US Federation

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Apart from that, he also talked about how contacting him within the confines of the law and rules would be a key strategy. Balogun has played for USMNT U-18 in 2018. He is making fans lose their mind as he is currently the top scorer in the French league.

FIFA cleared Alejandro Zendejas to be a USMNT star

In the 3rd week of last month, FIFA shocked everyone as they punished Mexico with a fine. The battle was about the Liga MX star Alejandro Zendejas. The penalties laid by FIFA came out after the Mexican team used Zendejas without following proper protocols.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch this story: Tiger Woods Reveals What Makes Him Starstruck About Lionel Messi

Zendejas was a US prospect and playing him without getting approval from FIFA was a breach of FIFA rules. FIFA fined Mexico $10k, and they had to forfeit the last three matches. This was a major blow for Mexico but paved the way for Zendejas to be a future USMNT star.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Rishabh Chaudhary

682Articles

One take at a time

Rishabh is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports, coming with a year of experience in digital marketing and 19 years of being a sports fan. Like most people in India, he started by watching cricket and then all sports. He writes poetry and songs in his free time and plays FPS games like Valorant and CSGO.
Show More>

Edited by:

Akash Pandhare