An American player narrowly missed out on a hat-trick in the World Cup match between the United States and Paraguay on Saturday morning. He missed out on becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup for the United States in 95 years. But what he missed was more than what he had to say about his performance. His dribbling, post attempts, accuracy and cutbacks were key to a 4-1 win over Paraguay.

That player is Florin Balogan.

Balogan's presence in the US team is not to be taken for granted. He is the number 9 that the United States has been waiting for for years. He may wear the number 20 jersey, but his position is that of a real striker. Football pundits have already started to say that the United States can make an impact on world football because of his presence. There are a few reasons for this. He is one of the best strikers on the North American continent. His goal-scoring style caught the attention of coach Mauricio Pochettino. That's why he made Balogan the center of his attack. That's because he has scored 20 goals in one of the top five European teams. Which American players don't achieve.

There have been 12 goals in this World Cup so far. Two of them are to his name. He used both pace and penetration in the first half against Paraguay. His powerful right-footed shot was a problem for Paraguayan goalkeeper Orlando Zil. His goal early in the first half was offside. Even though he didn't score, his effort was commendable. Balogan was in the right place and position to receive a pass from Weston McKennie in the seventh minute of the game. But it was deflected by Paraguayan defender Omar Alderit and ended up as an own goal. Who knows, he could have scored the first hat-trick of the FIFA World Cup 2026. He scored the first in the 35th minute of the match and proved himself by scoring the second goal in injury time of the second half. His two goals are important for the United States in the sense that no American player has scored two goals in a single World Cup match since 1930.

Balogun was 24 years old. He plays for Monaco in the French league. However, Balogun is one of the few players from the United States to play in Europe's top 5 leagues. He was born in Brooklyn, USA, to a Nigerian couple. However, he has been playing in the United States since 2023, having played in the age group games for England. His origin is Nigerian.

But he chose America, rejecting the idea of ​​playing for Nigeria and England. When he decided to play for America after listening to his heart, he was playing in Reims in France on loan from Arsenal. He even scored 21 goals in a single season from there. This is in 2023. He immediately became the main striker in the US team.

Meanwhile, with forwards like Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins in the England team, it was going to be difficult for him to get a chance. That is why Balogan may have chosen America. Then Monaco signed him for 30 million. He has already scored 31 goals for Monaco.

Christian Pulisic provided the pass for the first goal in the match against Paraguay. Pulisic's performance, nicknamed 'Captain America', has also made Balogan comfortable. Pochettino's influence on the US team is now clearly visible.

Can the US be the surprise team of the World Cup? Coach Pochettino said in the post-match conference, ‘Nothing can be said right now. Victory is a high and defeat only shows problems. However, if we reach the quarterfinals or semifinals, that could be the case. That’s what we want.’