Three years after Folarin Balogun’s switched his allegiance to the U.S. men’s national team, the Brooklyn-born forward celebrated a memorable night on the world’s biggest stage. Balogun scored twice in his FIFA World Cup debut on Friday in the USMNT’s 4-1 Group D victory over Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. The former England and U.S. youth national team forward delivered the Americans second and third goals of the night, logging 72 minutes in the lopsided win. Soaking in the moments of his first World Cup appearance, Balogun voiced his proudness in himself and his teammates after a sensational team performance. “When I committed, I’ve always said the fans gave me so much motivation, showed me so much support,” Balogun said postmatch. “For me, the most important thing has always been to repay that. I feel like today is a great opportunity, and I just want to continue to show the fans I made the right decision.“I visualized my debut in the World Cup scoring, but the reality did surpass that of scoring two goals,” he added. “And the second goal was a fantastic goal as well.”After previously jostling for opportunities at the No. 9, Balogun looks to have made the starting job his going forward. Balogun’s clinical one-time finish off of Christian Pulisic’s assist continued a productive first half from Los Angeles before the 24-year-old roofed Malik Tillman’s pass into the top-left corner for his second goal of the match. Not only did Balogun walk away with a first USMNT brace in a World Cup match since 1930, he did a lot of dirty work in possession, fighting with Paraguay’s backline throughout his shift. It’s been a continued trend for the AS Monaco forward, who entered camp fresh off his second-best goalscoring haul at club level.Balogun’s work rate and production has been visible for some time now and even Pulisic credited his all-around talent. “The kid’s insane. He’s lethal right now,” Pulisic said postmatch. “We’re really lucky to have him. Let’s just hope it keeps coming like this. Everyone will look at the goals, but the way he’s fighting against these center backs, [he’s] holding up the ball, getting fouls.Balogun will now look to add to his 11 international goals when the USMNT faces Australia in Seattle, Washington on June 19. The USMNT sit top of Group D following Friday’s win and know a second-straight triumph could see them clinch a knockout berth with one match to spare.