Southeast Sports Network

  Former England international Folarin Balogun has officially decided to play for the USMNT. The 21-year-old striker was born to Nigerian parents but was born in New York. At two years old, he emigrated to England and played in the Arsenal Academy as a kid. Thus, he had the choice to play for any of these nations. He played with the England Youth National team growing up but has not had an opportunity to break into the senior team.  He has played on loan at Stade de Reims in the French Ligue 1 this season. His 19 league goals this season puts him ahead of the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr and has him tied for 5th most goals in the league overall. This a huge pickup for the United States, as the lack of options in the striker position has plagued the team for many years. With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, this addition could prove to be vital for the team’s chances of making a run.

  After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the US Men’s National Team seemed to be in a bad spot. The age of the group was pretty old, and the state of the federation as a whole was extremely poor. Major changes needed to be made before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. One immediate change made was the hiring of former player and coach of the Columbus Crew Gregg Berhalter. Although he has faced lots of criticism during his time as manager, Berhalter put forth a formidable squad for the Qatar World Cup. This team was very young and inexperienced, but contained what was arguably the most talented roster in USMNT history. Here’s my thoughts and analysis of all four games they played, plus input from other fans of the team: USA vs. Wales (11/21): There were two main questions in terms of the lineup coming into this game. The first one being who would start at center back alongside Walker Zimmerman. Berhalter went with Tim Ream, and I think most American fans agreed with...