So teammates have introduced him to American culinary staples, like Chili’s. According to his U.S. defender Chris Richards, an Alabama native, things like American restaurant portion sizes and the fact that the U.S. coaching staff listens to country music dumbfound Balogun. “He says America's a simulation quite often,” says Mark McKenzie, who like Richards faces the challenge of defending Balogun in practice sessions. “We'll be driving down the road and he'll see something and be like, ‘What is that?’ Why is that individual dressed like that, or why are they throwing a sign up in the air on the corner, or what is Bojangles? It’s stuff like that, where he’s like, ‘America … what is going on?’”
Balogun’s eager to take advantage of the twist of fate that brought him to the States—and has Americans dreaming of long-awaited World Cup glory for its men’s team, which after finishing off group play against Turkey tonight, plays in the round-of-32 knockout stage, most likely against Bosnia and Herzegovina, on July 1 in Santa Clara, Calif. Balogun’s an accidental American. His mother, Florence, visited New York City in 2001 when she was pregnant with him. She tried to return to London, but the airline deemed her too far along to fly. So she gave birth to her son in July 2001 in Brooklyn, stayed at her sister-in-law’s place for about two months, then flew home with her newborn.
Balogun’s teammates feel happy too. “Look what he's done in the last couple games,” says American star Christian Pulisic. “But that's not the only reason why we're happy he's born in America. He's just an awesome teammate to have around. Getting to know him over the last couple of years has been great. He's such a nice guy, and obviously you can see a killer when he's on the field.”
Balogun celebrates after scoring a goal during a match between the U.S. and Paraguay on June 12, 2026. —Dave Bernal—ISI Photos/Getty Images
Balogun’s World Cup exploits—two goals in the June 12 opening-game victory over Paraguay, forcing an own goal against Australia a week later, propelling the team to a first-place finish in Group D—have been celebrated by champions of birthright citizenship. "Here we see ‘birthright serendipity,’ where Folarin Balogun's mother's advanced pregnancy actually helped the U.S., since her talented son can now play for America," says David Boyle, a Long Beach, Calif, attorney who filed an amicus brief in favor of birthright citizenship. "America has been rewarded many times for its generosity to birthright-citizen babies. Those infant immigrants who have received much, but sometimes grow up to give back even more."
Opponents, however, won’t change their tune because of a few goals. “It’s really admirable what this guy is doing in soccer,” says Dennis Grossman, who filed a brief on behalf of the Christian Family Coalition Florida, an organization that ties illegal immigration to rising levels of religious intolerance, including antisemitism, in the U.S. “But you can't alter public policy, you can't alter the nation's security concerns, and you can't alter the nation's tolerance religiously and the intent of the 14th Amendment, because there is a rare exception.”
It’s a conversation that is unlikely to fade with the Supreme Court ruling, but also one that for many Americans seems to take a back seat to Balogun’s excellence on the pitch and the thrill of seeing the home team advance. U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie has been showing him videos of American soccer fans, in bars and streets throughout the country, erupting in cheers when the U.S. scores, to give him a sense of his contributions to a defining American moment. “It's not something any of us can really comprehend, because we're in it,” says Balogun. “But I think once we're out of it and kind of getting on with our daily lives, we will be able to see the impact. It's a beautiful thing.”
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