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U.S. Men\u2019s National Team<\/a> coach Mauricio Pochettino unveiled his 26-man roster Tuesday for a potentially generational\u00a0<\/span>World Cup<\/a>. The team features veterans, fresh faces and more than a few surprises.\u00a0<\/p>\n But who made the cut for the U.S., which opens in the World Cup on June 12 against Paraguay? How did they get there? And what are they known for? Here’s a breakdown of the forwards leading the USMNT into the tournament:<\/p>\n London |\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Age: 24 | Team: AS Monaco (France)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n National team appearances: 25 |\u00a0<\/strong>Known for: The Decision, soccer-style<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Soccer players don\u2019t usually have much of a choice when it comes to which national team they\u2019ll represent. Most are citizens of one nation, so the choice is made for them; some are dual nationals, but even then, one country tends to offer more security and promise than the other.\u00a0<\/p>\n Balogun<\/span>\u00a0had a different situation. He was eligible for three national teams \u2014 England, Nigeria and the United States \u2014 and all three eagerly pursued him. His decision to play for the United States had ripple effects across all three federations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Balogun plays as a striker, but it\u2019s important to note that he grew up training as a winger. He\u2019s excellent at seeking out space and often feints out of position to confuse defenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always said that I\u2019m an unorthodox sort of striker, because naturally it wasn\u2019t where I grew up playing, so I would always look to exploit spaces,\u201d Balogun said<\/span><\/a>, per The Guardian. \u201cI know when the timing is right, it\u2019s essentially not possible to defend it. So it\u2019s just a case of continuously getting the person on the ball and me in sync so the timing is good.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nFolarin Balogun: The Triple Threat<\/h2>\n