Analyzing Folarin Balogun’s impressive World Cup performance for the United States
John Arnold and Lori Lindsay talk about Folarin Balogun’s two-goal night that helped the United States beat Paraguay at the World Cup.
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ENGLEWOOD, Calif. — Enacts the 14th Amendment to assist the U.S. men’s national team to victory in the opening game of the 2026 World Cup.
Without it, Folarin Balogun would never have donned the USMNT uniform.
Balogun’s performance – he scored two banger goals in the first half of the USMNT’s 4-1 win over Paraguay in the World Cup opener – is a reminder that the 14th Amendment, better known as birthright citizenship, helps make this country exceptional. It is something to be celebrated, not diminished.
Balogun was born in New York. His mother was visiting family in London and was too far along in her pregnancy to return to London as planned. Although he grew up in London, he chose to represent the USMNT over England or Nigeria, where his parents are from.
“When I committed and throughout the entire cycle and journey to get to this point, I always said the fans gave me a lot of motivation and showed me a lot of support, and the most important thing for me was always being able to reciprocate that,” Balogun said.
“So I feel like today is a great opportunity and like I said, I want to continue to show the fans that I made the right decision. And I’m completely proud and I want to continue to make the fans proud as well.”
There is no such thing as a “typical” American.
Contrary to what some people believe, there is no such thing as a “typical” American. We are not a conventional nation, and never have been.
Unless you are a Native American, we all trace our lineage to different countries and different cultures. We take all these different pieces of history and merge them into this wonderfully diverse country. In our food, music, language, work ethic, and government systems, we have taken influences from many different histories and made them uniquely our own.
It also means that, at least in theory, everyone in this country starts on an equal footing and the opportunities are limitless.
Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way. However, there is a possibility that That is American exceptionalism. It’s not about the color of someone’s skin or what religion they practice (or don’t practice). It’s not about address or socio-economic status. It means welcoming everyone born here unconditionally and offering the possibility of a better life for those born after.
There is a movement now underway to destroy that, to whitewash our society by pretending that there is some fabricated concept of “Americanness” and to eliminate those who do not fit into it. But Balogun, and the USMNT as a whole, have really proven that it will never succeed.
USMNT is great because it’s diverse
The USMNT, like the nation it represents, is greater than the sum of its parts. It is led by an Argentine who has spent much of his adult life in Europe. The players hail from Birmingham, Alabama and all over the world. to Hershey, Pennsylvania. To Almere in the Netherlands.
Some are first-generation Americans, and some have dual citizenship. Some players have traveled the world since birth, as military brats or soccer vagrants, while others still play in the same town they grew up in.
But they all carry USA on their chests. Whether they were born in this country or chose this country as theirs, they are equally American in the eyes of the Constitution and in everything we have ever been told about this great country.
“There may be a lot of people here who have never been here to cheer for us, but we hope that with this performance today they will connect with us,” Weston McKennie said.
“We want it to be something we can relate to, and they can feel the joy when we play.”
Follow USA TODAY sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
