Balogun: “It was the best month of my life”

Folarin Balogun has said that last month was ‘the best of his career’ after he made his first appearance for the senior United States national team.

Our 22-year-old striker has just come off the back of a very successful season on loan to Reims in France, where he scored 21 goals in Ligue 1, and he capped a superb campaign by being called up for the USA national team for the first time.

Although born in New York, Flo – who has been with us since 2012 – represented England at youth level, scoring seven times for the under-21s.

He recently announced he would be representing the country of his birth at senior level though, and made his debut in a 3-0 win over Mexico in CONCACAF Nations League semi-final.

He then scored in the final, helping his country take the title with a 2-0 win over Canada in Honduras.

“I was so proud, and even thinking about it now, I’m overwhelmed with emotion,” he said when asked about his debut. “It was such a fantastic time for me, probably the best month of my life and my career. The experience in general was just amazing.”

Flo is currently back in the US as part of our squad for the pre-season tour, along with compatriot Auston Trusty, and is looking forward to playing in the MLS All-Star match on Wednesday.

“As soon as I heard that our pre-season tour was in America I was so happy and excited to be coming back here,” he said. “I’ve been back with the national team too so I’ve been here a lot recently.

“The vibes are always good, the people are always lovely and I’m just looking forward to the game. I’ve got some family who live in Washington actually, so they will come to the game. I’m sure people will be onto me for tickets!

“I’m really looking forward to the occasion, it’s my first MLS All-Star game so I don’t know what to expect. I’m sure there will be a great crowd though, and the opposition is great too, so I’m looking forward to it.”