USMNT roundup: Red-hot Folarin Balogun chasing Ligue 1 history as Americans' World Cup form takes shape

Strikers are a streaky bunch. When they’re scoring regularly, swelling with confidence and demanding the ball, it does not seem to matter who is marking them or whether they’ve been invisible most of the match. A goal surely is coming.

Less than two months before the World Cup, Folarin Balogun is feeling it.

The United States’ undeniable No. 1 striker failed to score in the run of play Sunday but converted the tying penalty kick early in the second half of Monaco’s 2-2 draw with Auxerre.

The scoring haul is staggering: Eight consecutive Ligue 1 matches and 10 goals in the past 10 Monaco games across all competitions.

His Ligue 1 streak is tied for the second longest this century, trailing only Sonny Anderson’s 11 for Lyon in 2001. His 12 goals are tied for fourth on the league scoring chart.

The 24-year-old also scored five times in the Champions League and once in the Coupe de France for 18 overall — his most productive campaign since posting 22 for Reims in 2022-23.

As every striker knows, though, form can be fleeting. Before beginning his scoring tear, Balogun went eight matches across all competitions without a goal.

With 10 goals in his last 10 Monaco games and a historic eight-match Ligue 1 scoring streak, Folarin Balogun is peaking at the perfect time.

(VALERY HACHE via Getty Images)

U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino is counting on Balogun remaining hot through the end of Monaco’s season and hitting the ground running when World Cup training camp opens May 27 in the Atlanta area.

It’s a far cry from the 2022 tournament in Qatar, where an unsettled situation led to Gregg Berhalter starting Josh Sargent twice and Haji Wright and Jesus Ferreira once apiece.

Balogun did not score for the U.S. last month as a starter against Belgium and a sub against Portugal. He did strike in each of his three starts in the fall (vs. Japan, Ecuador and Paraguay), and he has eight international goals in 25 appearances since committing to the U.S. three years ago. (He previously played for the English under-21s.)

Balogun’s surge comes as Wright has gone without a goal in five straight for Coventry City after scoring six in his previous five matches. (He still leads the club with 17 overall.) Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang (10 goals) is sidelined after rupturing an Achilles tendon on April 6, while PSV Eindhoven’s Ricardo Pepi (14) was off this weekend.

France

Defensive midfielder Tanner Tessmann came on in the 79th minute, helping Lyon secure a 2-1 upset at first-place Paris Saint-Germain and move into a tie with Lille for Ligue 1’s third and final automatic Champions League slot.

Right wing Tim Weah entered at the start of the second half for Olympique Marseille, which dropped a 2-0 decision at Lorient for its third loss in four matches. The club is two points out of the Champions League berth with four games left.

Ahead of Tuesday’s rematch in the Coupe de France semifinal, center back Mark McKenzie served a red-card suspension during Toulouse’s 3-2 loss at second-place Lens.

Although Christian Pulisic is not a pure striker — he’s best as a secondary forward or wing — his scoring drought is concerning. After an unremarkable performance in AC Milan’s 1-0 win at Hellas Verona, the U.S. star has now gone 17 games without a goal for club and country in 2026.

In 2022, Pulisic was scoreless in 22-of-23 matches leading to the World Cup and didn’t hit the mark in the first two group matches before pocketing the winner against Iran.

Returning from a yellow-card suspension, the multidimensional Weston McKennie started in central midfield and offered a wonderful assist early in the second half as Juventus defeated Bologna, 2-0. He has five goals and five assists in Serie A and four goals and one assist in the Champions League.

Wright entered in the 62nd minute of Coventry’s 1-1 draw at Blackburn, which secured promotion to the Premier League after 25 years in the second, third and fourth divisions.

Defensive midfielder Aidan Morris went 90 as fifth-place Middlesbrough earned a 2-2 draw at second-place Ipswich Town, keeping his club in the hunt for the second promotion berth and in excellent position to qualify for the four-team promotion playoff.

In the Premier League, defensive midfielder Tyler Adams entered in the 65th minute of Bournemouth’s 2-1 win at Newcastle, extending the eighth-place Cherries’ unbeaten streak to 13 and tying them with Chelsea and Brentford on points for the last two berths in European competition next season.

Midfielder Brenden Aaronson (78 minutes) served a lovely assist on Leeds’ second goal during a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton. Next weekend, Leeds will face Chelsea in an FA Cup semifinal at Wembley.

Left back Antonee Robinson entered in the 81st minute of Fulham’s 0-0 draw at Brentford.

Center back Chris Richards and Crystal Palace — who on Thursday advanced to the UEFA Conference League semifinals — will host West Ham on Monday.

Right wing back Joe Scally (90 minutes) scored in the seventh minute — his second of the Bundesliga season – but Mönchengladbach conceded a late equalizer and settled for a 1-1 draw with Mainz. U.S. teammate Gio Reyna entered in the 72nd.

Ahead of Wednesday’s cup semifinal against Bayern Munich, midfielder Malik Tillman was an 81st-minute sub in Bayer Leverkusen’s 2-1 loss to Augsburg.

Augsburg center back Noahkai Banks, who withdrew from U.S. consideration last month to weigh German options, remained on the bench for the fourth time in five matches.

In the Copa del Rey final — won by Real Sociedad in a shootout 4-3 following a 2-2 draw through 120 minutes — Atlético Madrid sub Johnny Cardoso missed a golden opportunity to score the winner in stoppage time of regulation by sending an angled shot wide of the open far corner.

Right back Alex Freeman and Villarreal were off.

In a Scottish Cup semifinal, center back Auston Trusty played 120 minutes as Celtic pulled away from St. Mirren in extra time, 6-2, setting up the May 23 final against Dunfermline.

Eager to make a late impression after being left out of U.S. camp in March, Club América winger Alex Zendejas went the distance and was credited with an assist in a 2-1 victory over Toluca.

Major League Soccer

Defensive midfielder Cristian Roldan scored twice off corner kicks 15 minutes apart in the first half — on a header and a volley — as Seattle rolled past visiting St. Louis, 4-1.

Midfielder Diego Luna contributed a goal and assist in the first nine minutes of Real Salt Lake’s 4-2 home victory over San Diego.

On the eve of his 25th birthday, left wing Max Arfsten scored in the 25th minute of Columbus’ 2-1 loss at New England.

Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter went 74 minutes in league-leading Vancouver’s 3-0 win over Kansas City.

Among the center backs, Tim Ream left at halftime of Charlotte’s 2-1 win at New York City with a groin issue that he first felt in the 30th minute; Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson returned from a groin injury that sidelined him during U.S. camp to play 64 minutes in a 3-3 draw with Chicago; and Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon went 90 for Vancouver.

The top goalkeeping candidates started as usual, with NYC’s Matt Freese losing to Charlotte, New England’s Matt Turner winning against Columbus and Chicago’s Chris Brady drawing at Cincinnati.

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