Folarin Balogun, Gio Reyna shine for USMNT in Nations League final
The national headlines will read that the U.S. Men's National Team won their second-straight CONCACAF Nations League title.
That's big news and the 2-0 win over Canada in Sunday's final was a deserved result for a young side with incredible potential that is still learning how to win together.
But the bigger story was the that squad got top-notch performances out of two of the players they'll need the most if they plan to compete for a World Cup three years from now when the U.S. will co-host the event.
Newly minted USMNT striker Folarin Balogun scored his first-ever international goal in the first half off a beautiful through ball from Gio Reyna to give the USMNT a commanding 2-0 lead in the 34th minute.
The United States won the battle for Balogun's services just over a month ago, when the Arsenal product chose to play for the Yanks over England and Nigeria, the two other countries for which he was also eligible.
His talent and potential was evident in his first cap this past Tuesday in the team's 3-0 victory over rival Mexico. And he took that to the next level against Canada.
In just his second game for Team USA, Balogun was a force up front for most of his 78 minutes on the pitch, and his breakthrough in the first half was a welcome sight for a team that's been looking for a legitimate scoring threat seemingly forever.
The man responsible for both his goal and the corner kick that set up Chris Richards' first US goal earlier in the game is another player for whom this squad needs more big moments.
Gio Reyna was basically ignored by manager Gregg Berhalter in last year's World Cup, which created a situation where the 20-year-old's future with the national team was in serious peril.
So his two-assist performance Sunday was a huge win for both him and the USMNT. And it may have just saved his spot for the time being, especially with Berhalter getting the nod to return as the manager just two days ago.
With Balogun and Reyna both in form, the USMNT looks to have the pieces in place up front to be serious international contenders, not solely in CONCACAF, where the team has proven to be the best in the region by a healthy margin.
Balogun, Reyna and the rest of the USMNT won't have much time to rest before play begins in the biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup this Saturday.
The 13th-ranked team in the current FIFA world rankings will begin the competition against Jamaica at Soldier Field in Chicago, with two more games on June 28 and July 2.
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