Arsenal soccer star Folarin Balogun flips from England to U.S. national team

May 16 (UPI) -- Arsenal star Folarin Balogun, who is on loan at Reims, is eligible to play for the U.S. Men's National Team after FIFA approved his eligibility transfer from England, soccer's governing body confirmed Tuesday.

FIFA said Tuesday morning it approved a request by the U.S. Soccer Federation to change Balogun's eligibility. Balogun later posted a video announcement on his social media accounts.

"Let's make history," the 21-year-old captioned his Twitter and Instagram posts.

Balogun also maintained Nigerian national team eligibility. The New York native was born to Nigerian parents who live in London. FIFA allows players to change national team eligibility before they appear in games at the senior level.

Balogun played at the youth level for England and the United States. He went on to compete for England's under-21 team.

Balogun scored 19 goals in 34 games this season for Reims of France's Ligue 1. He went on loan from Arsenal, of England's Premier League, in 2022.

He will be eligible for promotion to the U.S. senior team for the 2023 Gold Cup. The Americans will start that tournament with a game against Jamaica on June 24 in Chicago.