INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Folarin Balogun could have played for any one of three countries. He chose the United States, and it paid off with a splashy World Cup debut on home soil.
The 24-year-old striker scored two goals as the Americans opened with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night in front of a rabid and star-studded red, white and blue-clad sold-out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium.
“I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that,” Balogun said. “A very dreamy night.”
With retired England captain David Beckham looking on, Balogun became the first U.S. player to score multiple goals in a World Cup game since 1930. Back then, Bert Patenaude scored all three goals in a 3-0 U.S. win over Paraguay, the first hat trick in World Cup history.
“The kid’s insane,” teammate Christian Pulisic said. “He’s lethal right now. We’re really lucky to have him.”
Balogun was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to Nigerian parents. A month later, he moved to England, where he grew up in London. He joined Arsenal’s academy at age 8. He represented England at the youth level and also played for the U.S. under-18 team.
England’s roster is traditionally filled with stars. Nigeria failed to qualify for this World Cup. So Balogun is making himself an American household name during this summer of soccer.
“Everyone will look at the goals,” Pulisic said, “but the way he’s fighting against these center backs, holding up the ball, getting fouls, I really like it.”
Balogun committed to play for the U.S. three years ago.
“I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation and showed me so much support. The most important thing has always been to be able to repay that,” he said. “I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.”
Among the crowd were Balogun’s relatives, with extended family watching around the U.S. and in London.
“I was able to spot them out in the crowd, but it was tough because so many fans were wearing red and white,” he said. “I had to sort a lot of tickets, but I’m happy to do it because this is a once in a lifetime occasion and I want everyone to experience it.”
The U.S. took a 1-0 lead on an own goal by Damian Bobadilla.
Balogun extended the lead to 2-0 when Christian Pulisic played the ball into the box to set up Balogun with his 21st career assist. That tied Pulisic for fourth most in U.S. history.
Minutes earlier, Balogun nearly had another goal, but it was called back when the U.S. was offside.
Undeterred, Balogun scored again just before halftime, putting the ball in the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead.
“I’ve not been able to take it all in,” he said.
Balogun was heading back to the team hotel to rest.
“To be honest, I think I’ll just watch some Netflix,” he said, smiling.
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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup