Follow usForward Folarin Balogun posted a photo on Instagram in March and people figured out he was in Orlando, Florida, where the U.S. soccer team was training.
“When the comments started coming in,” he said, “I was just kind of surprised … kind of overwhelmed.”
Balogun committed to the U.S. team in May and the 21-year-old forward is training with the Americans in Carson, California, ahead of CONCACAF Nations League semifinal against Mexico on June 15 at Las Vegas.
“It was an internal decision between myself, my family and my agent,” he said. “At the end of the day, I just went with my heart.”
“Flo is a really talented player that’s going to bring a fiery edge to the group,” said goalkeeper Matt Turner, Balogun’s teammate at Arsenal last summer. “He’s a super competitive guy.”
Balogun was loaned from Arsenal to Reims in August. He scored 21 goals, tied for fourth in France’s Ligue 1 and trailing only Kylian Mbappe (29), Alexandre Lacazette (27) and Jonathan Davis (24).
