Private coach reveals Balogun’s World Cup secret

United States striker Folarin Balogun’s impressive FIFA World Cup performances are the result of months of intensive preparation, according to his private coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst.

Balogun announced himself on the global stage with a brace in the USA’s 4-1 victory over Paraguay, becoming the first American player since Bert Patenaude in 1930 to score two goals in a World Cup match.

The 24-year-old’s rise has been far from straightforward. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents of Nigerian descent from London, Balogun developed through Arsenal’s academy but struggled to establish himself in the club’s senior team.

After limited opportunities at Arsenal and a modest loan spell at Middlesbrough, where he scored three goals in 18 appearances, Balogun’s career took a major turn during a loan move to French club Reims in the 2022/23 season, where he scored 21 goals.

According to Isaksson-Hurst, who worked closely with the striker before and after that move, Balogun’s transformation was driven by targeted individual training.

“Flo came to me in 2022 after an unsuccessful loan period at Middlesbrough. I wanted to obviously do some extra work to take his career further. We focused on his profile as a striker, read what his strengths are and the areas he could improve,” Hurst told Sportsboom.co.uk.

“So we did a big pre-season intensive camp, and he got his loan moved to France. He came back regularly on the Eurostar. We would work on all these things in the lead-up to his move to Monaco.”

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Balogun’s form in France earned him a £35m move to AS Monaco from Arsenal in 2023. He has continued his progress this season, scoring 19 goals and providing five assists before making his World Cup debut.

Hurst revealed that another intensive training programme was designed specifically to prepare the striker for the World Cup year.

“The real work came in the pre-season last summer, because he was going to have one this year and head straight to the USA camp. We put in a lot of work within that period to have a big season leading up to the FIFA World Cup,” he said.

USA captain Tim Ream also praised Balogun’s movement and finishing following the historic victory.

Balogun, who represents the United States through birthright citizenship after being born during his parents’ visit to New York, is expected to play a key role as the Americans continue their World Cup campaign.

The co-hosts are already through to the round of 32 but will play Turkey in their last group game on Friday.