Mauricio Pochettino has finalized the last piece to his now-23-man roster for the USMNT’s upcoming training camp and friendlies against Japan and South Korea, adding Monaco forward Folarin Balogun to an already strong attacking group.
The 24 year-old’s omission from the initially released roster did not come as a huge surprise, as he has recently returned to the field following an injury-hit previous season. He did play a full 90 minutes in Monaco’s most recent league game, a 1-0 loss to Lille, which clearly convinced Pochettino that he is ready to return to the US setup for the first time since a pair of friendlies against Canada and New Zealand in 2024’s September window.
Since committing his international future to the Stars and Stripes in summer, 2023, the New York-born attacker has amassed a total of 17 appearance with five goals and four assists over those games.
How big of a role he will play in the two upcoming games does remain to be seen, as he has yet to join the Argentinean coach in a national team camp, and will be competing for minutes with a stacked bunch that includes the in-form Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent, as well as the relative veteran Tim Weah.
Balogun and Monaco will host Strasbourg in Ligue 1 play on Sunday, after which he will report to New Jersey for the training camp and eventual games in Harrison and Columbus.
