Balogun and Monaco Travel to Toulouse to Face McKenzie
Two Americans will be on opposite sides of the pitch when Monaco travels to face Toulouse at Stadium de Toulouse on Saturday, with both Folarin Balogun and Mark McKenzie carrying significant momentum into a critical late-season Ligue 1 clash.
For Monaco, the stakes are clear. After reeling off seven consecutive league wins, Sébastien Pocognoli's side have stumbled badly, collecting just one point from their last two Ligue 1 outings. That slide has left them two points behind Marseille for a European berth and four back of Lille for a Champions League qualifying spot. A trip to 11th-place Toulouse represents a prime opportunity to arrest the slide.
Balogun has been Monaco's most reliable attacking force all season, having scored in eight consecutive league matches. The U.S. forward netted last week in a 2-2 draw with Auxerre and has 12 Ligue 1 goals and four assists across 26 appearances this campaign. With Mauricio Pochettino widely expected to build his World Cup attack around him, every performance matters, and Balogun has shown no signs of slowing down.
McKenzie, meanwhile, will look to help Toulouse stop him. The American center-back has started 24 league games this season and logged over 2,100 minutes for a Toulouse side that has been in freefall through April, losing all four of their competitive fixtures and conceding three or more goals in each of them. McKenzie and the Toulouse backline will have their hands full.
Toulouse is also dealing with a depleted squad, with several key defenders sidelined through injury and Yann Gboho suspended. Monaco, too, is without multiple players, but their overall quality and recent head-to-head record—unbeaten in their last three meetings—give them the edge.
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