The 2026 FIFA World Cup is less than six weeks away.
On June 11, Mexico and South Africa will open the tournament at Mexico City’s legendary Azteca Stadium. The next day, the U.S. Men’s National Team will start its own World Cup journey against Paraguay at Los Angeles’s SoFi Stadium.
The USMNT hasn’t named its official World Cup squad — that roster is expected to drop May 26 — and that means everyone, from top players to fringe candidates, is battling to be a part of the historic team.
Here are the three players who made the strongest case for their inclusion over the last week of club soccer:
Folarin Balogun, AS Monaco
Folarin Balogun has been the USMNT’s great goalscoring hope since the moment he agreed to join it. He entered the national team with a breathtaking amount of potential, but injuries and coaching changes meant that he was unable to truly deliver on it in his first two years with the team.
In 2026, that looks set to change. Balogun has quietly put together one of the finest striker records in Europe. He’s scored a whopping nine goals in his last ten league games with AS Monaco and has been the motor powering the team’s rise up the Ligue 1 rankings. If Monaco stays at the top of the table and clinches a European place next season—something it is now projected to do—Balogun will be the reason why.