CHESTER, Pa. — U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun didn’t sugarcoat it when asked about what he hopes the squad earns during the November international window. Balogun went through final preparations with his USMNT teammates on Friday ahead of Saturday’s home friendly vs. Paraguay at Subaru Park, home of MLS’ club Philadelphia Union. The Monaco forward is back in camp after scoring in each of the September and October windows under head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Balogun scored in a 2-0 win over Japan before also finding the back of the net in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador. He’s remained in good form heading into this month’s pair of matches, the final ones for the program in 2025. Although Pochettino will want to see continued improvement from his players against Paraguay and Uruguay, Balogun kept it simple when asked what he wants. “We need to get results, that’s it,” Balogun said during Friday’s media availability from Chester, Pennsylvania. “I can tell that it’s two very difficult sides. Especially Paraguay, we watched clips on them and they are really aggressive. I think to continue to build in the right direction, we’re going to get results, there’s no shying away from that.” As the case in several windows this year, there are many absentees from the squad for respective reasons. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Chris Richards were among the players not called into camp, opening the door for others to step into their spots and deliver in their absences. However, players like Balogun, Haji Wright, Tim Ream, Diego Luna, and Matt Freese have all played key roles throughout 2025 and will be among the leaders over the next four days. While having the likes of Pulisic, McKennie, and others would help with the chemistry of the squad, not having them doesn’t affect the squad’s preparation too much. “I wouldn’t say it affects the preparation because we still have a lot of players,” Balogun said. “Poch wants everyone to play and to know their roles, he wants everyone to be on board. He wants nobody to think that their spot is guaranteed. “Of course at the same time, we would love to have all of the guys here, but it’s more important to have them when the games matter,” Balogun added. “We have to manage what we have right now and allow the other guys to get healthy.” Six months after the USMNT suffered Round of 16 elimination from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Balogun’s one-time switch to represent the program was accepted. A former England youth national team standout, the 24-year-old has since scored seven senior goals in 21 caps for the United States. Balogun will be among the leading candidates to claim the starting No. 9 job over the next few months, being joined this window by Haji Wright and Ricardo Pepi. All three bring something different to the table and come into camp from different club situations, leagues, and scenarios. While it remains to be seen how Pochettino will use all three forwards this month, Balogun is open to anything and admitted the overall goal for the strikers is to put the team first. “I don’t think it will be a big adjustment,” Balogun said when asked about the possibility of playing as a second striker. “I’ve done it at club level and it will be different working with Pepi because I haven’t really played with him as a 1-2. We’re all good players so we’re going to figure it out. If coach thinks we need it then I am sure neither of us have a problem playing this way.“The relationship is good,” Balogun added. “At the end of the day, we’re all humans trying to do the same thing. We’re trying to play for our country and we’re trying to put our best performances forward. We’re going to help each other where we can.”Should Balogun score against Paraguay or Uruguay, it will set a new career-best for goals in a single year with the USMNT.