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USMNT's Balogun has the World Cup, Europe's bigges...
Key takeaways
- He faces Folarin Balogun all the time in practice.
- With his powerful shot and prodigious work rate, Balogun has been by far the biggest American revelation at this World Cup.
- In the first two U.S. victories, Balogun scored two goals, forced another own-goal with a blistering run and inch-perfect cross, and generally been the type of attacking threat up top that American soccer has craved.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
He faces Folarin Balogun all the time in practice. When asked on Tuesday to describe Balogun's shot, Freese nodded and held up his hands. Heavy wraps of medical tape stabilized the base of each thumb and looped down toward his index fingers.
"You see this?" he said. "I need this because he shoots on me."
With his powerful shot and prodigious work rate, Balogun has been by far the biggest American revelation at this World Cup. It wouldn't be right to call his performances a "pleasant surprise" because, really, what he's produced is exactly what U.S. Soccer (and all American fans) hoped would come from the minute Balogun joined the program.
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