A missed flight gave the United States its star striker
American striker Folarin Balogun only holds U.S. citizenship because airline staff barred his heavily pregnant mother from a flight, forcing him to be born in Brooklyn instead of London.
The trajectory of American soccer changed in the summer of 2001 because of a standard airline safety protocol. Folarin Balogun, a prolific striker for the United States national team, was never intended to be an American citizen. His Nigerian parents were living in London at the time and had only traveled to New York for a brief vacation. When they attempted to board their return flight to England, airline staff noticed Balogun's mother was heavily pregnant and barred her from flying for safety reasons.
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