American striker Folarin Balogun seems to have finally arrived at Monaco in his third season with the club. Scoring an important goal in their 2-2 draw with Pafos in Champions League play on Wednesday, Balogun has now scored in his last five starts for club and country, and it couldn’t come at a better time with the 2026 World Cup only 197 days away. Last season was almost a lost one for Balogun as shoulder and ankle injuries kept him out of the fold for the French side, but he’s hitting the ground running and has already surpassed his goal output in all competitions last season with six goals and two assists for Monaco.
Balogun is firing the club up the league phase table and growing in confidence in his own game, getting the experience of both leading the line by himself and playing alongside another striker when he partners Danish forward Mika Biereth. That flexibility has helped Balogun use his movement and creative skill to the best of his abilities, which has seen him become a well-rounded striker at only 24 years old.
His goal against Pafos showed Balogun’s defensive acumen as well as his finishing. Intercepting the ball, Balgogun didn’t need much time to think of what he was going to do next, firing a first-time finish past Neophytos Michael in the net.
These are the kind of finishes that confident strikers take, and it’s taken quite a bit for Balogun to get to this point. After starring for Reims, scoring 22 goals in all competitions, during the 2022-23 season, the American forward earned a move to Monaco and showed promise with eight goals and seven assists in his first season with the club. But with last season being an injury-riddled one, Balogun was unable to build on that promise.
Year three, he’s found his role, and it’s coming just in time ahead of a World Cup on home soil. Christian Pulisic has long been the key attacker for the United States men’s national team, but after committing to represent the Red, White, and Blue instead of England, Balogun is bringing a different look to the attack.
The nine has long been a question for the USMNT since the days of Jozy Altidore leading the line — and in some ways even while he was leading it — but as the calendar gets ready to flip to 2026, Balogun is offering reasons to hope for success in 2026 both for club and country. Getting this Champions League experience and thriving in it will only better prepare Balogun for the World Cup.
There’s a long way to go between now and then, but it has been quite a while since an American striker was performing at this level on Europe’s biggest stage. Ricoardo Pepi has had his moments for PSV, but most of that has been coming off the bench, compared to Balogun being relied on from the start of matches. That does make a difference, as so far Balogun has thrived under pressure and that’ll only increase in the next year as games become even more important for club and country.
