# Balogun the USMNT Hero & World Cup Empty Seats

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-athletic-fc-daily-cup-7899757/balogun-the-usmnt-hero-world-cup-empty-seats
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-athletic-fc-daily-cup-7899757/balogun-the-usmnt-hero-world-cup-empty-seats.md
Podcast: [The Athletic FC: Daily Cup](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-athletic-fc-daily-cup-7899757)
Published: 2026-06-15T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/the-athletic-fc-daily-cup/episodes/balogun-the-usmnt-hero-world-cup-empty-seats
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6a213d9be25fe33c7c33e378/e/6a2fc4626cf76d77453fefb0/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-athletic-fc-daily-cup-7899757/episodes/balogun-the-usmnt-hero-world-cup-empty-seats
Duration seconds: 1461

## Resource

Tamerra Griffin and Carl Anka recap the USMNT’s dominant 4-1 victory over Paraguay by diving into the circuitous journey of two-goal hero Folarin Balogun with senior soccer writer Paul Tenorio. Plus, we investigate the tournament's growing mystery: why are there visible swathes of empty seats at "sold-out" matches in Guadalajara and Santa Clara? Insider Elias Burke joins to explain the stadium attendance discrepancies, corporate ticket realities, and extreme heat advisories. Finally, Hannah Vanbiber drops by to look at the science behind the tournament's hot-pink boot trend and the team ranking debates. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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