U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino is giving Folarin Balogun some space after the forward pulled out of a proposed transfer from AS Monaco to Everton but plans to call him soon to give him support.
Balogun led the U.S. in scoring with three goals at the 2026 World Cup but has had a tumultuous summer since.
A red card issued to the forward in the round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina became a flashpoint in not only the soccer sphere but also international politics when U.S. President Donald Trump took credit for the FIFA Disciplinary Committee's decision to suspend the card and allow Balogun to play in the round of 16 match against Belgium.
In August, Balogun was nearing a move to Merseyside, only to pull out after frustrations about how the
Premier League club handled his physical examinations.
But Pochettino, who has signed on for another cycle leading the U.S. national team after taking over in 2025, said he'll soon be in contact with a player who will be a key part of the American team heading toward the 2030 World Cup.
"It’s difficult because you can not influence the decision, you only need to support what they are doing with the people making the decisions. Of course, in some special case, like Flo, I will call in the next few days because I wanted to give a little bit of space after everything that happened with his situation in Everton, in Liverpool," Pochettino said Monday, Sept. 7, during a virtual roundtable with American reporters. "I want to know from him what happened, but always offering our support and being with him.
"He’s an important player for us, was an important player in the World Cup and I hope he can find – be it in Monaco or another place – his best place to perform in the best way."
The 25-year-old forward may be in for another six months at Monaco before the winter transfer window again allows him to make a move, though there are a few long-shot options that would see him playing outside Ligue 1 sooner than that.
Whatever his club future, he looks to be part of the core group who Pochettino will lean on heading to the 2030 World Cup – with the U.S. playing tournaments like the Concacaf Nations League, the Gold Cup, which is Concacaf's continental championship, and potentially receiving an invite to the 2028 Copa América, the South American championship.
What role will Balogun play with the USMNT going forward?
Balogun and other World Cup veterans will likely take part in most of those tournaments, but Pochettino's first matches after the 2026 World Cup are a series of four friendly contests. Whether the forward is on that roster, Pochettino will be looking to blend both players who steady the team and know what international soccer is like and some of the prospects who may be the future of the U.S. national team.
"We can not bring the whole squad young players because they need to be next to some guys with experience already competing," the Argentine manager said. "The idea is to have a good mix in between the potential players, young, always talking with Steve and the youth organization and try to start to assess that player to put them under pressure in the first team and see how they start to perform."
The U.S. plays Peru on Sept. 25 in Orlando, Chile on Sept. 29 in St. Louis, then hosts Mexico on Oct. 3 near Phoenix and closes out its September-October window with a game against Canada in St. Paul, MN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pochettino plans to call Balogun as USMNT manager looks toward 2030 World Cup
