Mauricio Pochettino has an unexpected decision to make ahead of the USMNT's fall friendlies against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada, with his roster due to be revealed on Thursday. At the center of it is Folarin Balogun, who has not played a single minute since the USMNT's 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 on July 6.
Three months ago, leaving Balogun off a USMNT roster would have seemed unthinkable. He scored three goals in his first three World Cup appearances on home soil and became a household name almost overnight. Since then, a red card, a suspended ban, a collapsed transfer and a lingering injury have combined to put his place in serious doubt.
Red Card Fallout and Transfer Chaos
Balogun's red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 kicked off a chain of events that still hasn't fully settled. FIFA made the unprecedented decision to suspend his ban just 24 hours before the USMNT faced Belgium in the round of 16, clearing Balogun to play in the biggest match of the tournament under rules that hadn't previously allowed for such a reversal.
The situation escalated further when U.S. President Donald Trump revealed he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino about reviewing the red card and the ban tied to it. The Royal Belgian Football Association is still pushing for the matter to be reviewed at the next FIFA Council meeting.
Then came the transfer saga. Balogun's proposed move to Everton fell through on Deadline Day after a medical raised concerns, prompting the Toffees to walk away from the deal. Monaco had already agreed to sell midfielder Lamine Camara to Chelsea to help fund the move, but Everton reopened talks on Balogun, leading Monaco to scrap the Camara deal with Chelsea, only for Balogun himself to pull the plug on the move at the last moment.
Chelsea and Everton were left without signings they had been counting on, and Monaco were left with a player who had derailed their own transfer plans in very public fashion. Days later, Monaco left Balogun out of their Conference League squad and floated the idea of still selling him, though nothing has come of it since.
An Injury Adding to the Uncertainty
Balogun's case for inclusion isn't being helped by his fitness. A minor knee injury kept him out of preseason and the start of Monaco's 2026-27 campaign, and while he has returned to training, he is still working his way back to full sharpness. Manager Filipe Luís suggested he could feature at the weekend, but with over two months out, he'd be far from his best if he does play.
Monaco's match against Lens on Friday is the last chance for Balogun to get minutes before the international break. A short cameo, or staying an unused substitute, wouldn't do much to reassure anyone about his readiness for four matches with the USMNT.
The Call Pochettino Has to Make
Pochettino could follow the approach former France manager Didier Deschamps took with Kylian Mbappé in November 2024, when Deschamps left the forward out of his squad due to controversy at Real Madrid and a dip in form. Deschamps said at the time it "was better this way," giving Mbappé a break to reset physically and mentally, and the move worked out for France.
Doing the same with Balogun carries risk, though. He's already on the outside at Monaco and has been sidelined for months, and leaving him out of the USMNT setup too could sap further confidence at a time when the team is trying to build on its World Cup momentum. Omitting him would also likely draw more attention to a player already dealing with more scrutiny than he needs.
If Balogun is fit enough to feature, including him in Thursday's squad looks like the more straightforward path for Pochettino. Leaving him out risks more headlines and more questions than either the manager or the player currently want.
