No shots & 17 touches – How do USMNT get the best out of Folarin Balogun? Weston McKennie has a plan

The Monaco striker, who completed a summer transfer back to French football from Premier League giants Arsenal, endured an outing to forget as the United States squandered a first-half lead against German opposition. Balogun had no shots on goal, just 17 touches through 66 minutes on the field and attempted only 13 passes.

McKennie has told TNT Sports of what went wrong with Balogun and how the USMNT can fix any issues: “I can’t really blame him so much for it. Moving forward, we’re just trying to find him, get him on the ball. Whether that’s him coming down low, whether that’s supporting him so he can play one-touch or have options instead of having to go against one big guy with his back to the goal. I think for the future, we’re just trying to, like I said, give him more touches, give him more balls, and then try and find him in behind. Let him know that we see him, and that we believe in him.”

Balogun has scored two goals in five appearances for his country, with McKennie confident that the 22-year-old will thrive when those around him play to his strengths. The Juventus midfielder added: “The thing about Flo — and we see it in training all the time — you know, he’s confident on the ball. I think he’s a player that makes a lot of runs in behind the backline. And it’s just a matter of, if we’re going to find him or not, or if we see it or not.”

Balogun has hit three goals for Monaco this season and faces competition for places at international level from the likes of Ricardo Pepi, Jesus Ferreira and Josh Sargent.