'Trying to be inevitable' - From Zlatan's cosign to a $57 million price tag as transfer rumors swirl, USMNT star Folarin Balogun has everything to gain after hot World Cup start

Prior to his arrival with the USMNT in 2023, there was so much talk about what the group could look like with a top striker leading the line. In truth, the U.S. would have arrived at this World Cup with one of those even without Balogun based on Ricardo Pepi's growth at PSV.

Balogun, however, has been in a category all his own, one that has him competing with some of the very best in the world this summer as he lifts the USMNT to new heights.

"The kid's insane," teammate Christian Pulisic said after Balogun's World Cup debut. "He's lethal right now in front of goal. We're really lucky to have him. We're just hoping it keeps coming like this."

It started against Paraguay, and it started fairly quickly. In that game, the 24-year-old striker scored twice in the first half while also having another chalked off. His first was a fantastic first-time shot, one that could only be described as a striker's finish. The second? That required a bit more work as Balogun took the ball, ran past two defenders, and took his time before rocketing a shot into the top corner. It was an elite finish.

"I visualized my debut in the World Cup, scoring," he said that night. "The reality did surpass that with scoring two goals. The second goal was a fantastic goal as well. It was a very dreamy, dreamy night."

His performance on that night gave Balogun a lead in that Golden Boot race for a few of the tournament's opening days. It lasted just a few games before Mbappe, Messi, Haaland, and Kane arrived.

"I think it's annoying," he said with a laugh when asked about falling behind that crew in that race to be top goalscorer.

He didn't add to his tally against Australia, but he surely made a difference. Early in the match, with the Seattle crowd rocking, Balogun jetted down the right-hand side of the Australian defense. The Socceroos were powerless to stop him as he ran all the way to the end line and cut in before rocketing a dangerous ball across the box. There was nothing Cameron Burgess could do but turn it in. It went down as an own goal as a result, but the setup was all Balogun.

Through two games, Balogun has shown all the makings of a top striker: timing, pace, dribbling, hold-up play, and of course, finishing. It's no wonder that the rumor mill is already starting to throw his name out there.

In truth, there have been clubs looking at Balogun for some time. Particularly for Premier League clubs, he makes infinite sense due to the fact he would count as a homegrown player in any squad. His 19 goals in all competitions for Monaco last season put him right back on the radar of top clubs, as does his record of success with the USMNT.

More rumors are swirling, though, including one crazy one.

Data analytics firm SciSports released a study that said that Balogun would be a near-ideal fit for Barcelona as they look to replace Robert Lewandowski. Their study uses statistics to assess fit based on style of play, potential, playing time and tactical fit. The fact that Balogun is, statistically, a match for that spot shows what he can bring to a team.

There are other links, too. Football Insider says Everton are among those keen. L'Equipe has said there are other Premier League clubs interested. Surely, there will be plenty of clubs watching on intrigued.

Balogun could stand to benefit. His current club, Monaco, missed out on both the Champions League and Europa League with their finish in Ligue 1, instead settling for a Conference League spot next year. Balogun, though, is a Champions League-level player, as he proved last season with five goals in that competition.

Monaco, too, could stand to benefit. They paid just under $35 million to sign Balogun from Arsenal in 2023. According to The Athletic, the club is now looking for at least $57 million, and with his contract expiring in 2028, it is hoping to secure a $22 million profit on the striker. If Balogun keeps lighting it up at the World Cup, it could be even more than that.

How is he doing that? With his goals, obviously, but also much more than that.

When asked about Balogun's performance against Paraguay, both Pulisic and Weston McKennie quickly pivoted away from the finishes. Those were obvious, they said, and there was a need to highlight the other things.

“Everyone will look at the goals,” the USMNT star said, “but it’s the way he’s fighting against these center backs, holding up the ball, getting fouls.”

"I think we saw a different side of Flo today," added McKennie. "The guy who can do the dirty work. The guy who can get stuck in and put his body on the line for the team and be a clinical finisher."

Against Paraguay, the goals were there. So, too, as Balogun's teammates said, were the little things. In that game, he had the most touches, ten, in Paraguay's box. He also took the joint-most shots with five. Meanwhile, he drew two fouls and was key in igniting the USMNT press that, ultimately, ate Paraguay alive.

In the Australia game, it was Balogun's pace that took center stage. He dusted two defenders for the game's opening goal and nearly broke through for a finish of his own early in the second half when Australia tried to come out of their shell. In that game, he had six touches in the Australia box, drew two more fouls and, again, pressed relentlessly, allowing his teammates to win the ball back quickly.

Modern strikers aren't just goal scorers; they need to be so much more, too. They need to be the focal point of the attack, a connecting piece, the first defender, among other things. So, while Balogun's finishing is earning him headlines, it's all of those other things that are endearing him to everyone watching from home.

A tweet from @JoshChavis65 went viral this week. It didn't go viral because the poster was a celebrity; it went viral because he said something that plenty of people in the United States were experiencing in real time.

"My baseball-obsessed 7-year-old hasn’t ever so much as touched a soccer ball in his life," he said, "and now he’s spending his evenings out here pretending he’s Flo Balogun."

That, of course, is the effect a World Cup summer can have. That effect is certainly magnified for American fans as hosts this time around. The last time the U.S. hosted in 1994, a group of unheralded underdogs became national icons. What, then, can this summer's group, one filled with actual top-end talent, hope to achieve?

The answer is simple: Anything. Just a few weeks ago, Balogun was a favorite to diehard American fans; now he's the talk of the town on morning shows, in bars, and, yes, in backyards when kids are kicking the ball into whatever goal they can fashion. There will be a new generation running around pretending to be the USMNT's No. 20, and that generation will continue to follow him long after this summer's over.

All of that is to say that Balogun suddenly has the world at his feet. This is a summer that can and will change the lives of every one of the 26 American players participating in it. None might benefit as much as Balogun, though, particularly if these first two games were only the beginning of something even bigger.