AS Monaco and United States men's national team striker Folarin Balogun said he's eager to impress the USMNT coaching staff, in what is his first national team camp in a year.
Balogun, 24, suffered through injuries over the past 12 months, including a shoulder ailment that required surgery to repair.
As such he had yet to feature in a game in which Mauricio Pochettino was U.S. manager. But now with matches against South Korea on Saturday, and another against Japan three days later, he's eager to impress Pochettino. Next year's World Cup is on his mind as well.
"I think with Mauricio coming in, the objective was clear that he wanted to bring the group forward," Balogun said on a conference call with reporters. "So as players, it's no surprise for us to be competing for places and positions. I think it's something we've done all our careers, and everyone wants to make an impression and I think that's just natural. [The World Cup] is such a big competition coming in 10 months, it's important to leave your mark."
Balogun had also been dealing with a calf injury of late, but had recovered sufficiently to score his first goal of the season for Monaco in last Sunday's 3-2 win over Strasbourg.
He now feels he is fully fit and is in a good place mentally thanks to the reception from Pochettino and his staff.
"I feel good. Injuries are behind me and yeah, it was a tough period, but I think every athlete goes through that at some stage," he said. "And yeah, first impressions of Mauricio and his staff, they've been really good for me. They've embraced me, made me feel welcome and the feedback I've got from the other players and stuff, they're great people and everyone's delighted to have them here, so it's all good."
Balogun admitted that there is a bit of a balancing act when it comes to taking a part in a USMNT camp after being away for so long. The desire to impress has to be balanced with not overthinking things.
"I think it's important to make an impression, but yeah, of course that's part of the psychology to not overdo it because things will just become more complicated," Balogun said. "The harder you try sometimes the more difficult it is. When I wasn't getting called into camp, obviously I knew the priority for me is to be healthy.
"I mean, you can't do much if you're not in the field. But yeah, overall I do believe that now I'm in a good shape and in a good way. And yes, it's something I've been doing all my career, fighting for my position and fighting to get in teams. So I believe that's a balance that comes more naturally to me."
There's also the question of trying to establish chemistry with players that in some cases he's never seen before. But Balogun doesn't think establishing a rapport will take too long.
"I think everybody's playing football at a high level as athletes and as footballers," he said. "As attackers especially, it's our job to look for creativity and to look for different ways to break down the offenses. So for sure, I don't think it'll take too long and I'm looking forward to playing with everyone."
Midfielder Cristian Roldan was added Wednesday to the U.S. roster for the two upcoming friendlies.
The 30-year-old has made 37 international appearances and was last with the U.S. at the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. He was on the 2022 World Cup roster but did not appear in any matches.
A member of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders, he helped the team win the Leagues Cup last weekend. Roldan is to join the U.S. group on Thursday.
Pochettino has 24 players on the rosters for the upcoming matches.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.