Folarin Balogun aims to be key as USA face Paraguay in World Cup opener | OneFootball

The United States open their World Cup against Paraguay in Los Angeles overnight, with AS Monaco striker Folarin Balogun vowing to try to be a key figure. Kick-off is at four o'clock.

In 1994 on home soil they began with a 1-1 draw against Switzerland, and Balogun wants a different start. According to Nice-Matin, the 24-year-old hit 19 goals as Monaco finished seventh in Ligue 1.

He approaches his first World Cup eager to represent his country and make it proud. Monaco are considering a sale this summer with two years left, and he accepts that scoring freely on this stage could reshape a career.

The USA have not reached the last four in the modern era, losing 1-0 to Germany in the 2002 quarter-finals. Their only semi-final came in 1930. Balogun has 27 caps and nine goals.

He sidestepped a question on President Donald Trump, preferring to focus on football, and says he wants to bring people joy. After a demanding club season he feels pressure is simply responsibility.

He netted the 2-1 winner when a fiery friendly with Paraguay in November spilled into a melee involving Alex Freeman and Gustavo Gomez, with Mauricio Pochettino sent tumbling. He calls Paraguay aggressive, and hopes for firmer officiating, seeing France as favourites but noting tournaments are not decided on paper.

Source: Nice-Matin