The one word to describe everything in Balogun's world these days is unlucky, which leads to another word – uncertainty
The Champions League match Wednesday between Monaco and Arsenal should have been a momentous occasion for Folarin Balogun.
An Arsenal academy product, the striker left London in search of playing time, emerging as a Ligue 1 star on loan with Reims. That loan resulted in a move to Monaco, a Ligue 1 giant, and, on Wednesday, Balogun's current and childhood club collided in the biggest competition in club soccer.
Well, not so much. Monaco announced Tuesday that Balogun wouldn't play due to a shoulder injury, with manager Adi Huttler confirming that Balogun will undergo surgery. The injury also deprived him of the chance to feature against his former club, short-term, as Arsenal won 3-0. But it also has longer-term implications.
The one word to describe everything in Balogun's world these days is unlucky. Which leads to another word: uncertainty. Untimely injuries have led to uncertain situations with both club and country. So much has changed, and generally not as result of anything he's done wrong. Luck or no luck, though, Balogun is no longer a locked-in starter for either Monaco or, for the first time since he joined, for the USMNT.
What it will take for Balogun's luck to turn around? What can he do to get and stay fit for these big games? When fit, how can he rediscover the goalscoring form that made him so dominant with Reims? And, with the 2026 World Cup drawing ever closer, what can he do to prove that he is, in fact, the man for the coach Mauricio Pochettino and U.S. men's national team, despite all of the competition going on around him?
GettyThe season so far
Unfortunately for Balogun, injuries have defined the first few months of this club season.
The American was in good form to start the campaign, scoring three goals in as many matches in late September and early October. Those goals helped vault him back into contention for a starting spot, where he was battling the likes of George Ilenikhena and Breel Embolo for minutes as the starting No. 9. It was a challenge he went through during most of last season, with the since-departed Wissam Ben Yedder also keeping him out of the XI.
However, after scoring in a 2-1 win over Rennes on Oct. 5, Balogun was forced out with a dislocated shoulder, knocking him out of Pochettino's first USMNT squad. He recently made his return but, after taking a hit in a 2-1 loss to Marseille, Balogun felt pain in that shoulder once again, putting his status in doubt for the Arsenal game.
“The decision is that Balo is going for surgery with his shoulder and we don’t know exactly how long is the duration,” Hutter said Tuesday, noting the latest setback for Balogun. “But it’s a pity for him and a pity for us.”
What might have been one of the biggest games of his career is now a perfect example of how frustrating the season has been for the USMNT star.
AdvertisementGettyA missed opportunity
Balogun certainly imagined Champions League nights at the Emirates. He likely never imagined he could be on the other side. That would have been the scenario had Balogun been cleared to play. The striker joined the Arsenal academy at the age of eight, rising up through the ranks through his 15 years with the club. He played 10 matches for the senior team, scoring two Europa League goals during that time while also going out on loan to Middlesbrough and Reims.
It was that Reims loan that set him on his path to stardom, as his 22-goal outburst with the club made his position at Arsenal untenable. Balogun was too good to be a backup, but not quite proven enough to start for Arsenal. Something had to give.
"It wasn't something that made me feel anxious, it was just more a case of seeing what wanted to be done," Balogun told ESPN last year. "It was out of my hands, that's how I felt. It wasn't something I could control."
Balogun hasn't been able to control his luck, either. His shoulder ailments have come at an unfortunate time, preventing him from building momentum with Monaco this season. Instead, Balogun will find himself fighting for minutes whenever he is finally healthy again, and that fight might extend to the international level, too.
Getty ImagesBalogun's USMNT role
There's no mystery as to why Balogun joined up with the USMNT – this team offered him a very real chance to be a World Cup star. The USMNT needed a goalscoring striker, and Balogun is exactly that. Balogun made that commitment in May of 2023, ending a recruiting battle, with the U.S. ultimately the choice over England and Nigeria.
And with a World Cup coming to the U.S. in 2026, Balogun signed up knowing he'd be given every chance to be the man leading the line at the world's biggest tournament.
So far, he's shown – at times – major flashes of being that player. His pace and finishing ability can legitimately change games, and they have for the USMNT. His five goals in 17 caps don't jump off the page, but the stakes and quality of those goals do.
His first was scored in the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada. His most recent two came at the Copa America, where Balogun was one of only a handful of USMNT players able to leave the tournament with his head held high. Balogun was the USMNT's starting No. 9 during the team's three-game run, and he certainly lived up to that billing by scoring in two of the three games.
Since the Copa America, though, a new challenger has risen, giving Balogun some major competition for that No. 9 spot.
AFPRicardo Pepi's rise
Balogun may very well still be the USMNT's starting No. 9. We can't know for sure, as he's yet to feature under Pocehttino. Until the new coach can evaluate a healthy Balogun in camp, his role remains somewhat uncertain. What we do know, though, is that there is another USMNT striker thriving: Ricardo Pepi.
Over the last few weeks, Pepi has gone nuclear, scoring goal after goal for club and country. He has 10 in 613 Eredivisie minutes so far, an ridiculous minute-per-goal ratio. He's scored in each of his last three USMNT appearances, too. In total, Pepi has scored 10 goals in his last 10 games for club and country. Those are the types of numbers that reignite a striker race.
Pepi was, at one point, at the forefront. Leading up to the 2022 World Cup, it seemed as if Pepi would be the guy for years to come. It didn't happen that way. A goal drought saw him tumble right out of the squad, but those days are long gone now. Pepi is more dangerous than ever, and he has a very real argument to be the USMNT's top forward. Balogun will want to have something to say about that.
