How Folarin Balogun's accidental USA eligibility created WC hero

INGLEWOOD, Calif., June 13 (Agencies): The United States men's soccer team's 2026 World Cup hopes might hinge on star striker Folarin Balogun, who already scored multiple goals for Team USA in its opening match against Paraguay on Friday.

However, Balogun was never supposed to be eligible to play for Team USA in the first place.

The USA striker's wild story began when his mother, Florence, visited her sister-in-law in the United States (Brooklyn, N.Y., to be exact) when she was seven months pregnant with Folarin.

Florence and Folarin's father, Ben, were both Nigerian but lived in London. The plan was for Florence to make the visit, return to England and then have her baby. But when it came time for her to return to London, the airline didn't let her go because she needed a note from her doctor in London saying she was safe to fly.

She wasn't able to obtain the note in time, which meant that she had to stay in New York to deliver Folarin. She ultimately gave birth to him on July 03, 2001, and they were back in London by the end of August.

Therefore, Folarin (who grew up in England) had the option to play internationally for England, the United States and Nigeria.

His ultimate decision to commit to the USA came after longtime US men's team standouts Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah all went to Monaco (where Balogun plays his club soccer) to recruit him.

Their attempt was clearly a success, as Balogun is now balling out for Team USA in the 2026 World Cup. But his mother staying in the USA to give birth to him back in 2001 is what made this decision possible.

The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium.

"I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that," Balogun said. "A very dreamy night."

With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Back then, Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in a 3-0 US win over Paraguay, the first hat trick in World Cup history.

"The kid's insane," teammate Christian Pulisic said. "He's lethal right now. We're really lucky to have him."

Balogun was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Nigerian parents. A month later, he moved to England, where he grew up in London. He joined Arsenal's academy at age 8. He represented England at the youth level and also played for the US under-18 team.

England's roster is traditionally filled with stars. Nigeria failed to qualify for this World Cup. So Balogun is making himself an American household name during this summer of soccer.

"Everyone will look at the goals," Pulisic said, "but the way he's fighting against these center backs, holding up the ball, getting fouls, I really like it."

Balogun committed to play for the US three years ago.

"I've always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support. The most important thing has always been to be able to repay that," he said. "I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision."

Among the crowd were Balogun's relatives, with extended family watching around the U.S. and in London.

"I was able to spot them out in the crowd, but it was tough because so many fans were wearing red and white," he said. "I had to sort a lot of tickets, but I'm happy to do it because this is a once in a lifetime occasion and I want everyone to experience it."

The US took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Damian Bobadilla.

Balogun extended the lead to 2-0 when Christian Pulisic played the ball into the box to set up Balogun with his 21st career assist. That tied Pulisic for fourth most in U.S. history.

Minutes earlier, Balogun nearly had another goal, but it was called back when the U.S. was offside.

Undeterred, Balogun scored again just before halftime, putting the ball in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead.

"I've not been able to take it all in," he said.

Balogun was heading back to the team hotel to rest.

"To be honest, I think I'll just watch some Netflix," he said, smiling.

Meanwhile, the United States opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday, powered by a first-half double from striker Folarin Balogun, but the victory was tempered by concern over the fitness of Christian Pulisic.

The emphatic Group D win marked a dream start for the co-hosts, whose four goals were their most ever in a World Cup match. Balogun became the first U.S. player to score twice in a World Cup game since the 1930 tournament.

"Amazing result," US captain Tim Ream said. "It's exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament."

The US broke through Paraguay's vaunted defence in the seventh minute when Pulisic deftly split two players and found Weston McKennie, whose cross was kicked into the net by Damian Bobadilla for an own goal.

Shortly after the first-half hydration break, Pulisic raced with the ball up the left side and sent a perfect cross to Balogun, who angled his shot past the diving goalkeeper Orlando Gill for a 2-0 lead.

Balogun struck again on the stroke of halftime, taking a long ?pass and shaking off a sliding defender and hammering a left-footed shot into the top corner of the net to wrap up a flawless half for the home side.

The only blemish on the night for the U.S. came when Pulisic was substituted at halftime by coach Mauricio Pochettino because of tightness in his calf.

"It was difficult for him to walk, but I hope that it is not a big issue and he can be ready for the next one," Pochettino said.

Paraguay came out of the break with more intensity, and finally got on the board in the 73rd minute with a goal from substitute Mauricio, who took advantage of a defensive lapse by the US.

But the Americans continued to control the game and Gio Reyna scored from the edge of the box with the outside of his right foot in the closing action of the match.

"The opposition were better than us," Paraguay defender Junior Alonso said.

"We were able to play further forward (in the second half). These are things we need to improve on for the next match. We have two games left, and we must improve. Regretting things won't ?help us at all; we need to use these mistakes to improve and put in a better performance that brings us closer to victory."

"There's not a whole lot of words to describe the feeling," he said.

"You want to start the tournament off on a good foot, scoring four goals, getting three points. It sets you up for the rest of the group stage, for sure."

Played under Los Angeles Stadium's massive, semi-translucent roof, the game drew a crowd of high-profile spectators, including Tom Cruise and David Beckham, who was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk ?of Fame earlier in the day.

Despite pre-tournament concerns over high ticket prices, Los Angeles Stadium was sold out for the match, with the NFL home of the Rams and Chargers - and site of next year's Super Bowl - configured for a World Cup capacity of 70,492.

"Massive thank you to the fans because the energy they gave to the team was amazing," Pochettino said.

"We can do amazing things if the fans are ?in this as well."

The US entered the tournament looking to improve on their last-16 finish in Qatar.

Paraguay, meanwhile, came through the demanding CONMEBOL qualifying campaign to make their first appearance in the tournament since 2010.

The first men's World Cup match on US soil in 32 years included a pregame performance by singer Katy Perry and a parade of nations, where some booing could ?be heard when the flag of Iran was carried into the stadium. Iran play their first match of the tournament in Los Angeles on Monday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio watched the match alongside Paraguay President Santiago Pena and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

The US will again be favoured when they face Australia on June 19 in Seattle, while Paraguay will look to bounce back when they travel to Santa Clara to face Turkey.