ENGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Folarin Balogun He could have played in any of the three countries. He chose the United States and it paid off, with a flashy World Cup debut for his home country.
On Friday night, the 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the United States opened with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in front of a sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium, an enthusiastic and star-studded crowd dressed in red, white and blue.
“I envisioned scoring on my debut at the World Cup, but the reality exceeded that,” Balogun said. “It was a dream-like night.”
With former England captain David Beckham watching, Balogun became the first American player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match since 1930. At the time, Bert Patenaud scored the first hat trick in World Cup history, scoring all three goals in the United States’ 3-0 victory over Paraguay.
“That kid is insane,” teammate Christian Pulisic said. “He’s deadly right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”
Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York to Nigerian parents. A month later, he moved to England, where he grew up in London. He joined Arsenal’s academy at the age of eight and represented England at youth level, as well as playing for the United States Under-18 team.
England’s roster is traditionally full of stars. Nigeria failed to qualify for this World Cup. In other words, Balogun became an American celebrity this summer in soccer.
“Everyone will be looking at the goal,” Pulisic said. “But I really like the way he fights against the centre-backs, holds the ball and gets fouled.”
Balogun committed to play for the United States three years ago.
“I’ve always said that the fans motivated me a lot and showed me a lot of support. The most important thing is that I can always reciprocate that,” he said. “I want to continue to show my fans that I made the right decision.”
Balogun’s relatives were among the crowd, with extended family watching from around the United States and in London.
“We could spot them in the crowd, but it was difficult because so many fans were wearing red and white,” he said. “We had to organize a lot of tickets, but we’re happy to do it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we want everyone to experience it.”
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead on Damian Bobadilla’s own goal.
Balogun extended his lead to 2-0. Christian Pulisic He slotted the ball into the box and set up Balogun with his 21st career assist. This tied him with Pulisic for fourth in U.S. history.
Minutes earlier, Balogun came close to scoring another point, but his goal was canceled due to American offside.
Still, Balogun scored again just before halftime, slotting the ball into the top left corner for a 3-0 lead.
“I haven’t been able to take it all in,” he said.
Balogun had returned to the team hotel for rest.
“Honestly, I think I’ll just watch a little Netflix,” he said with a smile.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
