The United States have long been a team in search of a dependable goalscorer. But it appears his club team may not think he fits that bill
It took less than a week for Folarin Balogun to do what no other United States player has done.
In a late season clash against Angers, Balogun collected his 20th goal in Ligue 1 for Reims, where he spent the previous campaign on loan from Arsenal. Coming only five days after his mid-May announcement that he was switching international allegiance from England to the US, the goal suddenly packed historic import: it made Balogun the first American player to score 20 or more goals in one of Europe’s top five leagues, an achievement the US Soccer Federation was eager to trumpet.
