Folarin Balogun takes a first, tiny step toward moving on from a calamitous summer
The USMNT striker scored his first goal since the World Cup in a losing effort against Paris FC. Could it lead to something more?
Before this weekend, the last time Folarin Balogun scored was in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at this past summer’s World Cup. In the immediate aftermath, the outlook for Balogun seemed rosy; an ascendant player who could muster a goal in tense games. At half-time against Bosnia, US fans weren’t just wondering how far his team could advance – they were sizing Balogun up against some of the world’s best strikers.
But for most of the ensuing four months, Balogun has been in limbo. His breakout World Cup was overshadowed by a red card in that same game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed by a scandal of which he wanted no part. Just as it seemed a summer move away from Monaco could get his club career on track, he broke off a possible deadline-day move to Everton after a lengthy visit to the training grounds and a medical he felt was improperly handled.
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While many expect that Balogun will get his move in January, to the Premier League or elsewhere, Monaco have understandably prepared for life without him. New manager Filipe Luís continues to prefer 20-year-old German youth international Paris Brunner to Balogun, giving the youngster ample time to tap into his vast potential. Balogun’s opportunities to turn the page have been limited.
On Sunday, though, Balogun took the first steps toward a brighter future, scoring the lone goal as Monaco fell 3-1 to Paris FC.
Monaco struggled to muster any meaningful chances in the first half against Paris, with Brunner sending the team’s only shot wide. Paris FC attacked relentlessly, stunning the early Ligue 1 title hopefuls with two goals just before half-time.
On days when Brunner puts it all together, such as when he bagged a brace against Marseille, he lives up to Luis’s faith. On other days, like Sunday, that faith can backfire. Enter Balogun.
Luís gave the American a chance to buck his months-long drought, bringing him on at half-time in place of Brunner, with a golden opportunity presenting itself in the 66th minute. Monaco broke up the right flank with a dribble from Brazilian right-back Vanderson, with Balogun running the channels while the Paris defense backtracked. Vanderson played a teasing low cross into the mixer that the goalkeeper couldn’t claim. Balogun needed just one prod, directing the ball to the far post. It wasn’t pretty, but it looked exceedingly comfortable, a rare return to the happy place that Balogun once frequented.
Just last season, Balogun finished fourth in Ligue 1’s goalscoring charts, bagging 13 for Monaco, with another six in the Champions League and the Coupe de France. His good form continued at the World Cup, with two first-half goals in the opening rout of Paraguay. His movement forced Australia into an own goal, with the Bosnia game providing him a third goal. Even in the expanded 48-team field in a particularly goal-saturated World Cup, only 10 players outscored him.
All of which only makes what came next even more complicated. Speaking with the media two days after the Bosnia game, Balogun called the entire red-card saga “surreal”, but refused to play victim. His message focused on making sure the next generation saw, through him, “the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust.” You really got the sense he wanted to move on from the whole episode.
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Instead, Balogun has become an unwilling avatar in football fans’ suspicion of how football is run, one of the first names cited whenever Gianni Infantino is skewered for other controversial acts. He seems to have gotten grace for pulling the plug on joining David Moyes’s side, a sequence largely dismissed as “LOL Everton” fodder rather than an indictment of the player. But nonetheless, Balogun’s current standing at Monaco will hardly keep him operating at the requisite level to be a crucial player for Mauricio Pochettino. Luis also omitted Balogun from Monaco’s squad for the Uefa Conference League, limiting his participation to domestic competitions – where the manager has preferred Brunner.
A goal in a losing effort does not reverse any of this. But it may be the first step in Balogun’s quest to move past the events of the last few months – a timely reminder that with good service and a manager’s faith, he could still be a high-level scoring option. His time coming through Arsenal’s academy makes him a valuable prospect for Premier League suitors, nursing their homegrown player quotas for domestic and continental competition. Manchester United are reportedly one possibility, in case wants even more anxiety in his life; Juventus may be another.
More than goals, though, increased minutes would do wonders to help Balogun move on from a summer that’s redefined his reputation. While he still projects to be a rung above national team newcomers Julian Hall and Justin Ellis, the pair are starting games in MLS and scoring with regularity. It’s first-choice status that Balogun is yearning to hold once again.
