This is not a drill: Folarin Balogun is (probably) in Orlando

Balogun to the USMNT confirmed? Not so fast!

Folarin Balogun playing for the U.S. men’s national team just became quite a bit more plausible.

Either that, or he really wants to visit Disney World.

That’s because the in-demand striker has been spotted in Orlando — the city where, as it happens, the USMNT is stationed right now ahead of its upcoming CONCACAF Nations League matches.

After posting his annoyance about not getting called into England’s senior national team (or maybe about something else entirely), Balogun was called up by England’s U-21 side, only to withdraw on Tuesday with what the FA said was an injury.

The next day, the striker posted a couple pictures of himself and an unidentified man on Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CqGb27cOMLy/?hl=en

No big deal, right? But wait, what does that wall behind them say?

“Here to chase tail.” That sure looks like the wall of a bar called Pups Pub in, yes, Orlando!

If there were any lingering doubt as to Balogun’s locale in the photos, the building behind him in the first picture is also very much located in Orlando.

So Balogun to USMNT confirmed? Well, not so fast.

First off, there is no confirmation the pictures are necessarily from the past 24 hours. Balogun was actually in Orlando with Arsenal last summer when the club played in the preseason Florida Cup against Chelsea.

Shortly after, Balogun joined Reims on loan, where he’s scored 17 goals to put himself among Ligue 1’s top scorers this season.

If the pictures are recent, there is also a chance that Balogun is visiting the USMNT not as a commit but as a recruit, looking to get a feel for the team and atmosphere before making a final decision on his international future.

Or he just wants to ride Space Mountain.

On Wednesday, Matt Turner was asked about Balogun after the USMNT goalkeeper and the striker were teammates during Arsenal’s preseason.

“I knew going into [preseason] that he had some roots in the U.S.,” Turner said of the New York-born forward. “So him and I developed a relationship pretty quickly.

“We check in on each other here and there. He’d be a great addition to our national team. He’s done really well for his club on loan and we’ll see — the decision has to come from the heart.

“It’s not necessarily an easy task always to come and play in these CONCACAF games. And it’s a tough region at times. So for us, we’d be really grateful to have him but his heart needs to be in it.”

In any event, we have reached out to U.S. Soccer for comment, and will update this post with any response.

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