Folarin Balogun’s Private Coach Reveals Secrets Behind USA Star’s World Cup Explosion

Folarin Balogun of the United States of America has entered the elite brace list with Kylian Mbappe (France), Harry Kane (England), Erling Haaland (Norway), Yasin Ayari (Sweden), Elijah Just (New Zealand) and Kai Havertz (Germany) after the host nation's opening match against Paraguay in the 2026 edition of the FIFA World Cup at the Los Angeles stadium.

Lionel Messi of Argentina leads the Golden Boot race with a hat-trick in his first match of the tournament against Algeria. 

He was joined on three goals by Jonathan David, who produced a hat-trick in Canada's emphatic 6-0 victory over Qatar during the second round of group-stage fixtures. David's strike partner, Cyle Larin, also found the net to take his tournament tally to two goals.

Elsewhere, Johan Manzambi, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, came off the bench to score a brace in Switzerland's second group-stage fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

BALOGUN'S STORY 

Balogun, America's poster boy after the 4-1 victory, and also in the race, has been a journeyman.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, to Londoners of Nigerian descent, he learned his football in the United Kingdom. 

Arsenal scouted the boy from East London and made him a professional. 

However, the Premier League champions of 2025-26 didn't give him a long rope during his senior team stint. He played only twice in the League and participated in six Europa League matches. 

The 24-year-old also played one match each in the FA Cup and the EFL Cup.

Balogun realised his worth after Arsenal started loaning him out to other clubs. He appeared for Middlesbrough for a brief period in the 2021-22 Premier League season, where he found the net only thrice in 18 appearances. He shifted gears after Reims secured his services for the 2022-23 Ligue 1 season. The striker scored 21 goals.

PREP FOR THE FIFA WORLD CUP

Renowned individual skills coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst, who has worked with elite players, including England winger Noni Madueke, is the man behind Balogun's development, before he moved his loan to France to appear for Reims and AS Monaco. 

"Flo came to me in 2022 after an unsuccessful loan period at Middlesbrough. I wanted to obviously do some extra work to take his career further. We focused on his profile as a striker, read what his strengths are and the areas he could improve. So we did a big pre-season intensive camp, and he got his loan moved to France. He came back regularly on the Eurostar. We would work on all these things in the lead-up to his move to Monaco," Hurst, a former academy coach at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and a consultant with top academies such as Arsenal, Brighton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers, told Sportsboom.co.uk. 

Monaco signed Balogun from Arsenal for £35 million on a five-year deal in 2023. This season, he has excelled with 19 goals and five assists for the club before making his FIFA World Cup debut. 

"The real work came in the pre-season last summer, because he was going to have one this year and head straight to the USA camp. We put in a lot of work within that period to have a big season leading up to the FIFA World Cup," added the coach, who is also the founder of the training app called My Personal Football Coach.

USA captain Tim Ream praised Balogun's rhythm and quick movements to reach goal-scoring positions after the historic win, as Balogun became the first American footballer since Bert Patenaude in 1930 to score a brace. 

"I think American football is improving generally. Flo is sensational in the box as a player, and obviously has the benefit of growing up within the English academy system and English football culture," said Hurst.

Balogun’s American citizenship was a total accident of fate, born while his parents were vacationing in New York. That birth automatically secured him a US passport under the 14th Amendment, the historic birthright citizenship law that the Donald Trump administration is now fighting to rewrite

PREMIER LEAGUE TO FIFA

Hurst has also coached former Chelsea and current Arsenal star Madueke, who made an impact in England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in Texas on Thursday.

Even England legend Wayne Rooney praised the right winger for being an "outlet" for England. 

"I've been working with Noni for over five years. He’s a sensational talent with an unbelievable mindset. He could go all the way to the top of one of the world's best players. It’s a joy to work with someone who wants to improve and put in all the extra work," said Hurst, refuting the perception that Madueke is Bukayo Saka's understudy. 

"He is nobody’s understudy, he’s going to be the main man, and as we saw last night, he’s one of the best wide players in world football," he concluded.