If it wasn’t already apparent, Folarin Balogun emphasized this weekend just how big of a coup his commitment to the U.S. national team was.
Balogun scored his 20th Ligue 1 goal of the season for Reims, a milestone that no American man in a top-five European league had ever reached. The previous high-water mark was the 17 goals Clint Dempsey scored with Fulham in 2011-12.
Not only is Balogun a clear upgrade on any American striker right now, he has reached a level this season that very few forwards across Europe’s top leagues have been able to match.
Did we mention he is still just 21?
Let’s kick off this week’s Five with a look at the now-confirmed USMNT forward.