Talking Tactics: Pepi or Wright - who will replace Balogun?

USMNT striker story GFX

Replacing Folarin Balogun is not just about finding goals. It's about finding the right tactical fit for a USMNT attack built on runs, pressure, and chaos.

The U.S. Men's National Team's biggest World Cup game yet will be played without their World Cup breakout star. Cruel? Yes. Controversial? For sure. It's also reality, and for all Mauricio Pochettino says about not chasing it, this is one he has to reckon with by Monday.

Reality dictates that Folarin Balogun will not play the USMNT's Round of 16 clash with Belgium. More specifically, FIFA dictates it. The USMNT striker's red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina means he's suspended for the team's next game. It's a backbreaking blow, and that may be putting it lightly.

Balogun has been the USMNT's most dangerous player this summer. He has probably been their best, too. His three goals lead the team, his runs have brought the U.S. attack to life, and his pressing has been relentless. More than anything, his effort has helped change the trajectory of this team. In truth, there is no replacing all of that.

Pochettino has to try, though, and the good news is that he has options. The next few days will be about weighing the positives and negatives of each before making a final call, one that could define the USMNT's World Cup hopes.

So who could Pochettino turn to in Balogun's place? What does each option bring, and what would the USMNT have to sacrifice to make it work? Here's a look at what Pochettino could do...

USA v Australia: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

Ricardo Pepi

If your big concern is goals, then Pepi is the guy you turn to. He's shown the ability to score them time and time again.

Pepi is, at his core, a finisher. He's been that for PSV, and for the USMNT, too. There's a reason that Premier League clubs have been swirling for over a year now, and that's because Pepi is a type of player that only needs one chance to show how lethal he can be in front of goal.

Despite his reputation as a finisher, Pepi has also added things to his game. Against Senegal before the World Cup, the PSV star showed that he can facilitate, too, by assisting one goal and setting up another. Then, against Australia when he played alongside Balogun, he did plenty of dirty work by occupying center backs, allowing his teammates to find spaces created as a result.

However, Pepi has a different presence than Balogun. He is nowhere near as quick and generally hasn't played as physically. Due to the quickness aspect, he likely can't make the runs that Balogun does to ignite the USMNT's attacks. He also isn't as strong a presser due to the extra half-second it takes for him to close down.

That said, though, Pepi's differences could be key, as his presence could open up the door for someone else and, if it doesn't, he'll likely only need one real chance to make his own presence felt.

USA v Australia: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

Haji Wright

You can't really say Wright has been used sparingly because the truth is that he's hardly been used at all. The Coventry City striker has played a whopping one minute for the USMNT this summer. So far, Pepi has been the preferred striker off the bench.

However, Wright does offer a more like-for-like replacement for Balogun. His size is a huge asset, while he has shown that he can be a get-in-behind striker, too. He was fantastic in the Championship with Coventry and, in the fall, he showed he can perform for the USMNT, too, with a brace against Australia.

The fact that he hasn't played much, though, does seemingly indicate something. Still, he offers some similar qualities to Balogun as a replacement, and he does have a World Cup goal to his name - that has to count for something, right?

Türkiye v USA: Group D - FIFA World Cup 2026

Christian Pulisic

In theory, it's usually a good idea to put your top goalscorers closer to the goal. No current USMNT player has more goals than Pulisic - could he work?

There's logic to it. Pulisic tends to cut inside anyway, running into central spaces to make defenders backpedal. Meanwhile, players like Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest usually provide width, allowing Pulisic to attempt to isolate defenders and create chaos. Theoretically, then, he could do that as a central striker, opening the door for someone else to take over his spot on the left. That replacement could then stretch the field or cut in like Pulisic does, interchanging into something somewhat fluid up top.

That said, we've also seen this before. Pulisic was ineffective centrally against Portugal in the spring, and several months next to Rafael Leao in a two-striker system never got anywhere close to saving AC Milan's season. So, while it is good to put your best goalscorers close to goal, it's probably better to put your best players where they play best. In Pulisic's case, that's not as a No. 9.

United States v Belgium - International Friendly

Tim Weah

If you simplify things, Balogun does three key things to make the USMNT better: score goals, run in behind, and ignite the team's press. Weah can certainly do the latter two of those three things and, if you remember, he did do that in the U.S.'s first game in the 2022 World Cup against Wales.

There are obvious trade-offs here, sure. Weah is not a striker, and he hasn't been for some time. For several years now, the Marseille man has been a wingback, one tasked more with preventing goals than scoring them. A No. 9's primary job is to score, and there are plenty of better scorers in the team.

However, in this team, the No. 9's job is also to make the rest of the group better. If that's the key focus, then maybe Weah could be the answer. His pace may open up lanes for his teammates to run into, and it could also lead to the one pressing sequence that alters the game.

Are there better options? Probably, but there are some traits that would make Weah fit in this spot.

Gio Reyna USMNT World Cup 2026 Paraguay goal

The other options

Outside of the four mentioned above, there are other pivots that Pochettino could make. All come with obvious downsides, though.

Gio Reyna, for example, has already scored at this World Cup and could provide some creativity up top, but his lack of physical presence and top-end pace really prevent him from being a striker. Brenden Aaronson has pace and energy but hasn't really shown finishing ability. Alex Zendejas, meanwhile, has scored for Club America, but hasn't played enough with the USMNT.

Pochettino could also turn to Malik Tillman, traditionally a No. 10 but a player with the size and on-ball ability to play up top. That idea, though, would just create a problem somewhere else by breaking up the American midfield, which has been fantastic. Same for Weston McKennie, who started up top for Juventus at times but, again, is much better used as a midfielder.

Could Pochettino throw a curveball? Potentially, but whatever he does choose, it'll have to be right. The USMNT's World Cup hopes depend on it, after all.