Balogun

I think Eric Wynalda might be getting a bit carried away. Comparing him to Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo 🤯

Going to win the world cup in 2026?

Isn't their best midfielder currently stinking the place out at Leeds this season?

Americans eh?

Athletico Madrid are sniffing around him and their fans want him to stay if he will.
 
....however, apart from the Home grown rule & being a US Citizen already.... what has Balogun ever done for us... ;-)

After i read "born the day before the 4th of July, you can't get more American than that" (maybe on the 4th you lemon) I stopped reading.
We have just had a lad on loan who is twice the player he is at the same age. Balogun would be well short of an england call up imo so has probably done the right thing but also in his heart he probably knows why.
 
Kane, Toney are the best two.. then, IMHO: Abrahams... Watkins, Wilson & rest are pretty much of a muchness... I really think Archer could get close to the first team if he can get a regular run in a team - hopefully Boro in the PL.. as he seems such a natural..

I think Balogun will get regular starts for USA & may get him a Green Card to live there later though on a footballing stance seems a little self defeating & he'd count as overseas for any English based team so that is a limiting factor for his career too, maybe..

Wilson certainly won't be Kane's replacement: he's about 18 months older than Kane and has a had a lot of injuries.

Good luck to Balogun; I fully expect the US to be a regular fixture in at least the last 16 of the WC for the rest of his career and, with the next one at home, they'll be looking to go further.
 
The Guardian is running an article on this and states that he could be the final piece in the jigsaw of them winning the World Cup in 2026.

TO be fair I was impressed with them in Qatar. A bit naive in places and massively lacking a striker but they now seem to have solved that. I was reading during the World Cup that they plan to appoint the best, highest profile manager they can for the cycle when they are hosting so they can have a proper go at it.

People laugh at them having ambitions to go far, but look at Morocco in Qatar. Get a really good spine and luck and who knows how far it could take you
 
TO be fair I was impressed with them in Qatar. A bit naive in places and massively lacking a striker but they now seem to have solved that. I was reading during the World Cup that they plan to appoint the best, highest profile manager they can for the cycle when they are hosting so they can have a proper go at it.

People laugh at them having ambitions to go far, but look at Morocco in Qatar. Get a really good spine and luck and who knows how far it could take you
If you stick eleven men behind the ball you won't score.

The USA are always hard to break down (Wales 1-1, England 0-0, Iran 1-0) in the group stages but they tend to struggle in the knockout rounds. In the last world cup, they played a 1-1 draw with a very poor Welsh team, got a hard fought draw against us that they could have nicked when they hit the crossbar and then won 1-0 against Iran in a game that both teams knew they had to win to progress.

The USA then went on to play an average Dutch team in the knockout stages and got spanked 3-1.

If the USA's results impressed you, how low is your bar?
 
Their cup final was against us, realised they then actually had to win a game and completely collapsed against the Dutch. They pride themselves on their hard work, their status as underdogs to the detriment of actually playing.

They're a decent side, they have about 5-6 really good players, but beyond those 5-6 players the quality isn't there. That can, of course, change - but until it does they'll still be stuck in the dynamic of plucky underdog.

Edit - just read that article, does he want salt and vinegar for the chip on his shoulder?
 
If you stick eleven men behind the ball you won't score.

The USA are always hard to break down (Wales 1-1, England 0-0, Iran 1-0) in the group stages but they tend to struggle in the knockout rounds. In the last world cup, they played a 1-1 draw with a very poor Welsh team, got a hard fought draw against us that they could have nicked when they hit the crossbar and then won 1-0 against Iran in a game that both teams knew they had to win to progress.

The USA then went on to play an average Dutch team in the knockout stages and got spanked 3-1.

If the USA's results impressed you, how low is your bar?
I didn’t say their results impressed me. What impressed was the way they tried to play. Yeah they were negative when they had to be (and it got them a draw against us), but in the first half against Wales they were absolutely fantastic and should have been out of sight.

I think they have some good players which should form the basis of a decent side come 2026. Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie (sometimes), Sergino Dest, Balogun. A choice between Zack Steffen and Matt Turner isn’t the worst in the world either.
 
I didn’t say their results impressed me. What impressed was the way they tried to play. Yeah they were negative when they had to be (and it got them a draw against us), but in the first half against Wales they were absolutely fantastic and should have been out of sight.

I think they have some good players which should form the basis of a decent side come 2026. Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie (sometimes), Sergino Dest, Balogun. A choice between Zack Steffen and Matt Turner isn’t the worst in the world either.
They impressed you by stagnating games and getting everyone behind the ball?
 
England were strong favourites and didn't win. I will always give credit to an underdog team in that situation.

If parking the bus and stagnating a game was easy, Man City wouldn't have scored 94 goals this season. No one likes to see it done, but dismissing it with "anyone could do it" is demonstrably wrong: it is still hard to shut out a superior side. No points for being entertaining.
 
Going about things the right way. The MLS is getting better, so hopefully more players will come through who are eligible for the USA. Maybe too soon to have an impact on 2026, but the US team should get better as time goes on.
 
Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is a target for AC Milan and Inter Milan, with the 21-year-old American set to leave this summer after impressing on loan at Reims. (Mail)
 
Is the MNT required? As pointed out it just confuses the matter.
Yes as that’s what they’re widely referred to within the US and abroad, in international media etc. Their women’s team is notable and popular enough for that distinction in naming to be warranted and broadly acknowledged.

Your issue with people using it says more about you than anyone else.
 
Yes as that’s what they’re widely referred to within the US and abroad, in international media etc. Their women’s team is notable and popular enough for that distinction in naming to be warranted and broadly acknowledged.

Your issue with people using it says more about you than anyone else.
Some absolute weirdos on here - read your post back - why are you so bitter.

I’m merely pointing out that the MNT is unnecessary - the rest of world football gets along fine without the need for it.
 
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