World Cup check-in: Balogun, Wright and Turner make their USMNT case

Haji Wright, Coventry City

But is Balogun the most in-form striker in the USMNT pool these days? The answer might not be a clear "yes."

Los Angeles-born Haji Wright just wrapped up a stellar season with Coventry City in the English Championship. Coventry won the league handily, with 95 points from 46 games, and earned promotion to the Premier League for the 2026/27 season. Wright was the team's top scorer throughout this run and netted 17 key goals to secure Coventry's promotion.

It's worth putting that number into perspective. Christian Pulisic scored nine league goals in his most prolific season at Chelsea. Josh Sargent, previously the gold standard for American attackers in England, managed 16 league goals in his best year at Norwich City. Wright's season at Coventry is arguably the best season an American soccer player has ever had in England. You could certainly quibble with it—defender Antonee Robinson has put up some great years with Fulham—but you can't quibble with Wright's consistency and impact.

With Christian Pulisic sinking deeper into a confidence-destroying scoring slump over at AC Milan, Balogun and Wright's performances should give USMNT fans a little bit of hope. The goals will come this summer...just maybe not from the players you expected.

Matt Turner, New England Revolution

From two prolific goal scorers to one prolific goal preventer: no American keeper is in better form right now than New England's Matt Turner.

Turner was the USMNT's undisputed starter at the 2022 World Cup, but a lack of playing time at his club (and a few admittedly poor performances for the national team under Mauricio Pochettino) caused him to take a backseat to NYCFC's Matt Freese in 2025. It made sense at the time: Freese was on fire, high off a star-making penalty shootout performance in the Concacaf Gold Cup, and Turner was struggling to regain his form in Major League Soccer.

Not anymore. Statistically speaking, Turner has been the best and most reliable goalkeeper in MLS over the eleven matchdays of the 2026 season. He's fourth in the league on saves per 90 minutes, which means he's being called into action more often than the majority of his peers. He's third in the league on save percentage, which means he's blocking those shots when they come. And he's first in the league in goals prevented, which means the shots he's blocking are high-value ones that could flummox even a gifted keeper.

By contrast, Freese is 10th in the league in saves per 90 minutes, 17th in save percentage and 16th in goals prevented. In 2026, there truly is no comparison: Turner is the American keeper to watch.