ST. PAUL, Minn. — Over the next 2½ years, as the World Cup draws near and Gregg Berhalter sets the course for the U.S. men’s national team, the issue of who will top the depth chart at striker will remain high on the agenda. But in these early days of the 2026 World Cup cycle, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi are beginning to make their case.
On Tuesday, Balogun scored for the second time in his nascent U.S. career and Pepi posted his sixth goal in six appearances this year as the Americans rolled to a 4-0 victory over Oman in a friendly at Allianz Field.