Labarai
Folarin Balogun Is Here. Me Ya Kawowa USMNT?
Muna amfani da kukis da sauran fasahar bin diddigi don haɓaka ƙwarewar bincikenku akan rukunin yanar gizonmu, nuna keɓaɓɓen abun ciki da tallace-tallacen da aka yi niyya, bincika zirga-zirgar rukunin yanar gizo, da fahimtar inda masu sauraronmu suka fito. Don ƙarin koyo ko ficewa, karanta Manufofin Kuki ɗin mu. Da fatan za a kuma karanta Sanarwa Sirrin mu da Sharuɗɗan Amfani, waɗanda suka fara tasiri 20 ga Disamba, 2019.
Ta zabar Na Yarda, kun yarda da amfani da kukis da sauran fasahar sa ido.
Domin 2023 ke nan, Folarin Balogun ya na da nasa bidiyon tallan da ya ke shirin tafiya. Hakan ya zo ne sa’o’i kadan bayan da labari ya bayyana a ranar Talata cewa FIFA ta amince da sauya shekar dan wasan mai shekara 21 daga tawagar kwallon kafa ta maza ta Ingila zuwa Amurka. Hotunan ya sake maimaita sauti na wasu zazzafan jita-jita kan wane shiri ne zai kai ga gaba: “Shi ne cikakken mutumin da ya kai wannan tawagar zuwa mataki na gaba,” in ji wani mai sharhi. “Idan kun kasance Amurka, dole ne ku je ku same shi.” Bincike dai ya tabbata ga dan wasan da ya buga a matsayin aro daga Arsenal a gasar Ligue 1 ta Faransa inda ya zura kwallaye 19 a wasanni 34 da ya buga a bana.
“Zan dawo gida,” faifan bidiyon ya bayyana bayan ya haska rigar Amurka mai dauke da sunan Balogun. “Bari mu kafa tarihi.”
An haifi Balogun a Brooklyn, amma iyayensa na Najeriya sun koma Landan yana da shekaru 2 a duniya. Ya shiga makarantar horas da Arsenal tun yana dan shekara 10 kuma ya kwashe shekarun samartaka yana cin karo da juna tsakanin kungiyoyin matasa na Ingila da na Amurka — shi ma ya cancanci shiga Najeriya.
Masoyan ciki da masu kishin kasa sun sanya shi a jerin agogon su na dan wani lokaci, amma yayin da kwallayen da Balogun ya zura a raga a kakar wasa ta bana, haka kuma ake ta yadawa. Domin ƙungiyar ƙwallon ƙafa ta Amurka ba ta jin daɗin komai kamar ƙaddamar da burinta a kan matashin ɗan wasa guda ɗaya—madaidaicin wanda bai ma taɓa yin shirin ba tukuna. Bayan haka, matsayin ɗan wasan ya kasance matsala ga ƙungiyar maza ta Amurka da ke haye a cikin rabin shekaru goma da suka gabata. Rashin ingantaccen mai ci-Clint Dempsey, idan kuna so-yana wakiltar gibin hamma a cikin wannan tsarar zinare. Kamar yadda ginshiƙi mai zurfi ya ƙulla kusan kowane matsayi a filin wasa, aikin ɗan wasan ya rage don kamawa.
Balogun ba shine kawai matashin dan wasan gaba mai alkawari da fasfo na Amurka ba, amma babu daya daga cikin sauran da ya yi ikirarin cewa shi ne dan wasan. Ricardo Pepi ya zo da karfi tun yana matashi, inda ya yaga Major League Soccer kuma ya zura kwallo a wasanninsa na farko na USMNT, sannan ya yi sama da shekara guda ba tare da ci ba a sabbin wasanninsa na Jamus da Holland. Daryl Dike na West Bromwich Albion ya yi fama da rauni. Haji Wright ya yi taho-mu-gama ne tsakanin kungiyoyin kulob din kafin ya sauka a Turkiyya, amma galibi ya ba da wasan da bai dace ba a cikin rigar Amurka. Jesus Ferreira na FC Dallas ya kasance farkon zabi na dan kadan amma ya bushe a gasar cin kofin duniya. Josh Sargent sau da yawa yana taka leda a Norwich City kuma baya zura kwallaye sosai. Har yanzu Brandon Vazquez yana jiran dama ta gaske don fassara burinsa na MLS ga tawagar kasar.
A watan Maris, Balogun ya ki amsa gayyatar da aka yi masa zuwa sansanin ‘yan kasa da shekara 21 na Ingila saboda raunin da ya ji a kafarsa, yayin da babban manajan Three Lions Gareth Southgate ya ce sai Balogun ya yi amfani da lokacinsa kafin ya shiga cikin manyan ‘yan wasa. “Ba za mu iya zuwa mu yi wa wani kira na farko ba saboda ba ma son su je wani wuri,” in ji Southgate. Don haka Balogun ya tafi Orlando ne domin ganawa cikin nutsuwa da babban kocin Amurka na rikon kwarya Anthony Hudson, sai dai kawai masu yin amfani da yanar gizo su gano inda dan wasan yake, lamarin da ya kara dagula hasashen.
“Ina tsammanin lokacin ne na ga cikakken karfin magoya bayan Amurka,” in ji Balogun ranar Talata a wata hira da US Soccer. “Ina can sai kawai na buga hoto tare da abokaina ina tunanin hoton biki ne kawai. Kafin in ankara, sai kawai na ga ɗimbin tsokaci kuma mutane sun san ina Amurka, kuma ina jin ƙauna daga can. An yi gyare-gyare da yawa, don haka a fili na ga mutane suna cewa ya kamata in zabi wakilcin Amurka kuma wani abu ne da na yi matukar farin ciki da na yanke shawarar yi. “
Sanarwar da aka fitar a hukumance a ranar Talata ta tunzura jama’a daga dukkan kafofin da ake tsammani da kuma wasu da ba a bayyana ba.
A Balogun, wanda ake sa ran za a kira shi zuwa Gasar Cin Kofin Kasashen Afirka ta CONCACAF a wata mai zuwa, Amurka ta kara dan wasan gaba wanda zai iya mike filin da gudunsa da motsinsa. Haka kuma Balogun na iya daukar ‘yan wasan baya daya-daya da kuma taimakawa ‘yan jarida a lokacin da ba su da hannu. Yana ba da saiti na fasaha daban-daban da kuma kallon Wright da Dike, waɗanda suka fi yawan ƴan wasan gaba na al’ada; ko Pepi, Ferreira da Sargent, wadanda suka zurfafa zuwa tsakiya don rike wasa da kuma kaddamar da fuka-fuki a gaba. Kididdigar burin Balogun yayi magana da wani wuri don kammalawa wanda sau da yawa yakan wuce Amurka.
Kamar kowane ɗan ƙasa biyu, Balogun ya yanke shawara mai ma’ana, ko da ya faɗi duk abin da ya dace game da yadda buga wa tawagar Amurka ta maza ke nufi da shi da iyalinsa. (“Me ya dauki tsawon lokaci haka?” Ya tuna da mahaifiyarsa ta fada game da zabar Amurka.) Irinsu Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, da Ivan Toney sun toshe matsayin dan wasan Ingila. Najeriya dai ta hada da Victor Osimhen, wanda tuni ya kasance daya daga cikin ‘yan wasan gaba a fagen kwallon kafar Turai, kuma mai shekaru 24, ya girmi Balogun da shekara uku kacal. A bayyane yake, hanya mafi sauri zuwa aikin duniya ta ratsa cikin Amurka. Wannan shine shawarwarin da sauran ‘yan wasan suka yi.
“A ƙarshen rana, kuna so ku je inda za ku iya ci gaba, inda za ku iya yin gasa, inda za ku iya taimaka wa ‘yan wasan,” Dike, wanda ‘yar uwarsa da dan uwansa suka wakilci Najeriya, ya ce kwanan nan yayin wani kiran manema labarai na USMNT.
Wannan shine dalilin da ya sa mahimmancin daukar ma’aikata na Soccer na Amurka akan ‘yan ƙasa biyu ya haɗa da shigar da su cikin sansani don sanin dangantakar abokantaka na ƙungiyar yayin da kuma shimfida hanya madaidaiciya zuwa mintuna masu ma’ana. “Tare da wasu ‘yan wasa, yana da mahimmanci idan akwai damar da za mu iya samun wani ya fuskanci al’ada, kungiyarmu, ‘yan wasa, yadda muke yin abubuwa,” Hudson ya kara da cewa a cikin kiran manema labarai. “Yadda muke ganin dan wasan ya dace da abin da muke yi. Wadannan su ne duk abubuwan da dan wasa ke son gani da ji da kuma ji don ya yanke shawarar da aka sani.”
Ga duk gyare-gyare akan sunaye guda ɗaya kamar na Balogun, haɓaka ƙungiyar ƙasa mai daraja ta duniya wasa ne. Ƙungiya mai fafatuka da gaske a gasar cin kofin duniya ita ce ragowar tarin gwanintar da ba ta kai haka ba. Kokarin da Argentina ta yi na tsawon shekaru da dama na neman wanda zai maye gurbin Diego Maradona ya yi nasara ne kawai saboda tana da tarin sabbin Maradonas da ba su taba yin kyau ba, sai da mutum ya yi. A kan hanyar, ƙungiyar ta gina babban goyon baya na goyon baya a kusa da Lionel Messi.
A cikin wasanni na duniya gabaɗaya, dabarar ƙwallon ƙafa ta duniya ita ce ta tara duk wata ƙasa mai albarka da za ku iya jaka-saboda yawancinsu ba za su yi aiki ba. Tare da shigar Balogun, yanzu Amurka ta dauki ‘yan wasa rabin dozin ko fiye da haka wadanda za su jagoranci Amurka a gasar cin kofin duniya ta 2026 da kuma bayanta. Dukkansu, ban da Sargent, suma sun cancanci shiga sauran kungiyoyin kasa. Babu takamaiman wanda zai zama taurari, idan akwai. Balogun na iya kasancewa daya daga cikinsu. Balogun ya sayo Amurka wani nadi na lido a teburi, wani harbin wani fitaccen dan wasan gaba.
Wannan dabarar ta riga ta biya wa sauran wurare a filin wasa ga Amurkawa. Yunus Musah, wanda ya koma Ingila da Italiya da Ghana, ya buga wasan tsakiya a Amurka a gasar cin kofin duniya da aka yi a Qatar a shekarar 2022, duk da haka wasu da yawa da ake zato na tsakiya ba su yi ba, kamar Gedion Zelalem da Emerson Hyndman. Ga kowane Alex Zendejas, ɗan wasan gefe mai ban sha’awa wanda ya kori Mexico don goyon bayan Amurka a cikin Maris, Julian Green ko Aron Johannsson ya gaza da tsammanin.
Tsakanin Balogun da Zendejas, wanda a yanzu haka ya samu nasara biyu a lokacin da kungiyar kwallon kafa ta maza ta shiga rudani bayan kwantiragin babban koci Gregg Berhalter ya kare a karkashin gajimare na munanan zarge-zarge. Tauraron dan wasan gaba Christian Pulisic ya fusata a cikin wata hira da ESPN kwanan nan cewa ana yin barna. Kusan watanni shida kenan da tafiyar Berhalter da kuma nadin na dindindin da alama bai kusa ba; sabon darektan wasanni Matt Crocker, wanda zai yi babban ra’ayi game da daukar ma’aikata, an nada shi ne kawai a ranar 25 ga Afrilu. “Ina jin kamar ya kamata mu jira kawai?” Pulisic ya ce. “Ba na jin ya zama dole saboda bana jin muna cikin wani yanayi [when we] Muna bukatar cikakken sake ginawa… Muna da tushe mai karfi, a ra’ayi na… Muna son ci gaba da hakan kuma mu gina wannan gasar cin kofin duniya, wacce ke da fa’ida da yawa, kuma mu ci gaba da hakan da zarar mun iya.”
Wataƙila muhimmin aikin da za a yi a yanzu shi ne na ɗaukar ma’aikata, wanda ya ci gaba da sauri. Ko da manyan nasarorin suna cikin fage na bidiyo na talla, hakan zai iya biyan lokacin bazara uku daga yanzu.
Leander Schaerlaeckens mai ba da gudummawa ne na yau da kullun kan ƙwallon ƙafa ga The Ringer. Yana rubuta littafi game da tawagar maza ta Amurka. Yana koyarwa a Marist College.
Boston na iya zama kamar tana da duk fa’idodi, amma ba a buga ƙwallon kwando akan takarda. Anan ga fafatawar da layukan labarai da za su yanke hukunci kan wannan fafatawa a wasan karshe na taron Gabas.