How United States Professional Soccer Player Folarin Balogun's Name is REALLY Pronounced & What His Names Mean

United States’ Folarin Balogun Scores Brace in First Half Against Paraguay

Fox Sports, Jun 12, 2026

Folarin Balogun scored two goals for the United States to extend its lead to 3-0 over Paraguay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lRvwo45xs8 -snip- Soccer (football) player Folarin Balogun's name is mispronounced by the sport's commentator throughout this game. **** Edited by Azizi Powell Latest update- July 8, 2026 This pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of United States professional soccer (football) player Folorin Balogun This post presents information 7 comments about the meanings of the names "Balogun" and "Folarin" and also includes information about the nickname "Flo" that has been given to Folorin Balogun. The content of this post is presented for cultural and onomastic purposes. "Onomastics" is the study of names and nicknames.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Folarin Balogun for wearing his name well. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this video on YouTube. -snip- Click https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folarin_Balogun for information about Folarin Balogun.

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/11/yoruba-names-and-their-meeanings-by.html for the 2014 pancocojams post "Yoruba Names And Their Meanings" by Fela Sowande"

Update- July 7, 2026 There are multiple YouTube videos on July 6, 2026 that provide information and comments about the red card penalty that United States soccer player Folarin Balogun received in the USA's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. That red card meant that Balogun was suspended from playing in the USA's next game against Belgium. However, that penalty was revoked after United States President Donald Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino. . The decision to revoke Balogun's red card is being seen as proof of FIFA's corruption and is being severely lambasted throughout the world, even among many soccer fans in the United States.
Read the comment I added on July 7, 2026 with a link to a YouTube video of a British call in talk show about Balogun's red card, Trump's call to FIFA, Belgium's winning that match, and opinions about what comes (or needs to come) next as a result of squashing that red card as a result of Trump's action and FIFA's actions. 

**** COMMENTS ABOUT THE NAMES BALOGUN AND FOLARIN [I'm presenting the comments that I wrote first because they provide a summation of this subject. All of the other sources for the comments that are published in this section are given in no particular order. numbers are given for referencing purposes only.] SOURCE #1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ust39aoZ4ig "OMG: World Cup Star Just DEVASTATED TRUMP in MOST Surprising Way!: The Luke Beasley Show- Luke discusses Team USA soccer player, Folarin Balogun.", Luke Beasley, July 2, 2026

Highlighted comment @azizip171, July 2, 2026

"Thank you Luke and your team, for presenting this segment on Falorin Balogun and the issue of birthright citizenship. l usually don't focus on mispronunciations, but when it comes to names, I believe it's important to offer this information.

"Balogun" is pronounced "Baah-Lo-guuuuun" ("BA-LOW-GOON").

I'm not a fan of Fox, but this Fox Sports video uses the correct* pronunciation of Falorin Balogun's last name: "Folarin Balogun Opens Up on His Decision to Play for the United States 🇺🇸 2026 FIFA World Cup™", June 19, 2026.

*that is, correct for the USA if not the way that Yoruba people pronounce it).

The name "Balogun" is a combination of "oba" meaning "king" and "ogun". "Ogun" is the name of one of the top deities in the Yoruba (Nigeria) pantheon (which-is similar to the Greek pantheon as it has gods and goddesses and has a Supreme Deity. Yhe Yoruba Supreme Deity's name is Olodumare). Ogun is the god of war and rules metal and all things associated with metal.

The name "Balogun" means "leader in war"." ** Added July 8, 2026: It appears that "Balogun" is almost always incorrectly pronounced in the United States media to rhyme with the word "cardigan" (as in "cardigan sweater" ) or the word "again". The name "Balogun" is also frequently incorrectly spelled as "Balagan" in English captions for YouTube videos. **** Here's another comment that I wrote as a reply to the above comment. However, that comment doesn't appear to have been published on that website or ,at least, it's not published there as a response to that highlighted comment: Reply @azizip171, July 3, 2026 "Here's information about the name "Folarin" from yorubanames.com:

"Fọlárìn - One who walks with wealth.

[...]

Morphology fi-ọlá-rìn

Part Meaning

fi          use

ọlá       wealth

rìn        walk, strut"... -snip- The nickname "Flo" that has been given to soccer player Folarin Balogun isn't a Yoruba (Nigeria, West Africa) shortening of the name "Folarin", but was created in the USA or in England because the "Fola" part of the name "Folarin" sounds like the nickname for the French/Latin given name "Florence". 

(According to Wikipedia, the feminine name "Florence" "is derived from the French version of (Saint) Florentia, a Roman martyr under Diocletian.[2] The Latin florens, florentius means "blossoming", verb floreo, meaning "I blossom / I flower / I flourish")...
-snip-
I don't think there's any connection between the  "Fola" element in the Yoruba language and the word "florens" in Latin. However, it's interesting that a person who is wealthy (as the meaning of the Yoruba name element "Fola") can also be considered to be blossoming/'flourishing" (as the meaning of the French/Latin name "Florence".)"

**** SOURCE #2 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbGkou7DTAA "Who Is USA’s Star Folarin Balogun? (And Why He's Becoming a Problem)"

The World Cup Reporter, Jun 13, 2026 

#worldcup2026 #worldcup #fifaworldcup

Welcome to The World Cup Reporter — your home for World Cup 2026 news, predictions, updates, controversy, and breakdowns for fans across the USA, Canada, and North America.

[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.] 1.@aledjohope, June 2026 "Correct pronunciation of his last name is: BAA- LOW- GOON" ** Reply 2. @ernestmwape, June 2026 "Ok. Still a 🔫 🤗" ** Reply 3. @Redvinetv, June 2026 "Balogun - BA-LOW-GUN ** Reply 4. @vaticinus, June 2026 "baa-low-goon not baa-low-jen

your edit is still wrong

its 'goon' not 'gun'"

** Reply 5.@olaronkeoyekanmi5139, June 2026 "It means captain of an army or warlord"

**** SOURCE #3 From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDXNx7urmPs "Folarin Balogun Opens Up on His Decision to Play for the United States 🇺🇸 2026 FIFA World Cup™ ", FOX Sports, Jun 19, 2026

[Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.]

1. @obaone, July 2026
"Say his last name right cmon!"
**
2. @vaticinus, July 2026
"BA-LOW-GOON"
**
3. @toluakande1952, July 2026
"Learn to pronounce his name correctly"
**
4. @nnamdi602, July 2026
"The mispronouncing of his name during this video was so irritating."
**
5. @LJK8151, July 2026
"You all keep mispronouncing his last name. Can you please say his last name correctly?"
**
6. @CapitalFizz, July 2026
"Baah -Lo-guuuuun"

**
7. @angelheart8676, 2026
"Please don't butcher his surname again, next time just call him Flo. if an african should call an american name wrongly, you all will throw a fit, about the accent. excuse me 😳"

**
8. @Ceedeetunis, July 2026
"Can you at least pronounce his name right."
**
9. @AstroLonghorn, July 2026
"He has gun in his name. Automatically American 🇺🇸"

**
Reply
10. @Briseis007
"I think Nigerians said his name actually means warlord or war general in Yoruba"

**
11. @angelheart8676
"Please don't butcher his surname again, next time just call him Flo. if an african should call an american name wrongly, you all will throw a fit, about the accent. excuse me 😳"
****
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