Balogun trails Messi by three goals in Golden Boot race as USA rest him for Türkiye

Folarin Balogun entered Monday’s USA training session trailing Lionel Messi by just one goal in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race. By the time the press conference was over, Messi had scored twice more — a hat-trick against Algeria had already come before that — and the gap had widened to three.

The 24-year-old Monaco striker burst out of the blocks at this tournament with two goals in the United States’ opening win over Paraguay, briefly topping the scoring charts. But the competition at the summit is formidable. Kylian Mbappé has four goals through France’s first two matches, including a brace against Senegal and two more in a 3-0 win over Iraq. Erling Haaland has also scored four, netting twice on his tournament debut and adding another pair against Senegal on Monday.

“Seeing players like Messi and Mbappé, Haaland — they’re so inevitable,” Balogun told reporters at the USA’s training base in Irvine, California. “They’re scoring a goal a game. Sometimes more.”

“It’s annoying,” he added, with a laugh, before Messi went on to score both of Argentina’s goals in a 2-0 win over Austria.

Balogun’s contribution to the USA’s campaign has extended well beyond his two goals. He was named Player of the Match in each of the Americans’ first two games and created the own-goal that proved the winner in Friday’s 1-0 victory over Australia in Seattle. But he did not score against the Socceroos, and he is unlikely to feature at all in the USA’s final group-stage fixture against Türkiye in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already secured top spot in Group D, and the head coach is expected to rotate heavily. The more pressing concern for Balogun is disciplinary: he is one of four Americans who picked up a yellow card across the first two group games, meaning another caution against Türkiye would rule him out of the round of 32 on 1 July in Santa Clara, California.

Pochettino is therefore almost certain to leave him out, even if it costs Balogun ground in the Golden Boot standings.

The striker said he understands the logic, even if his instinct is to play. “I want to play,” he said. “But it’s also important to be smart. I wouldn’t want to pick up a yellow card and miss the round of 32.”

With two goals and two Player of the Match awards already to his name, Balogun has made a compelling case as one of the tournament’s early standout performers. Whether he can close the gap on Messi, Mbappé and Haaland when the knockout rounds begin will depend on how deep the USA can go — and how clinical he can be when the margin for error disappears.