USMNT's Folarin Balogun scores hat trick in Monaco friendly in first match after return from shoulder injury

U.S. international Folarin Balogun scored a hat trick for Monaco's "Elites Group' in a club friendly against Brighton's U23 side on Tuesday. The American's three goals all came within a 45-minute span, the club said.

Ther 23-year-old recently returned to full team training after undergoing shoulder surgery in December. Prior to injury, he made seven appearances for Monaco in Ligue 1 action, recording six starts and scoring three goals.

Balogun has yet to feature under USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino due to the shoulder issue.

In early October, he scored his third goal of the year in a 2-1 victory over Rennes, but later in the match he suffered a dislocated shoulder that kept him out of both the October and November camps under the Argentine with the USMNT. He returned in late November, and after playing 68 minutes in a match against Marseille on Dec. 1, re-aggravated the shoulder injury - and he opted for surgery as a result.

This past week - with Balogun unavailable in addition to fellow striker Ricardo Pepi, midfielder Malik Tillman and defenders Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson - the U.S. crashed out of the CONCACAF Nations League finals, falling to Panama in the semifinal match and to Canada in the third-place game.

If healthy, Balogun will be available for selection for the June international friendlies and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

In 14 appearances with the USMNT, Balogun has scored five goals and recorded three assists.

It's unknown if Balogun will be fit for the weekend when Monaco's senior team take on rivals Nice in Ligue 1 action, but the match presents an opportunity for the 23-year-old to play his first competitive minutes of the calendar year.