The USMNT punched its ticket to the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. But the big story after the game wasn’t the clean sheet or the score line. It was the red card shown to Folarin Balogun.
Balogun scored the opening goal late in the first half. Then, early in the second half, he was sent off. That means he’ll miss the next game against Belgium on Monday in Seattle. And depending on how deep this team goes, maybe more.
On Fox’s postgame show, Alexi Lalas didn’t hold back.
“That is not a red card,” Lalas said. “I understand in the moment, it looks bad, and when you see it on video, it looks bad. But you have to have a feel. You have to have an understanding of what’s going on. I thought it was a crap call. I thought it was a crap red card.”
Lalas wasn’t done. He praised the way the team responded after going down to 10 men. Instead of packing it in or playing scared, they kept the ball. They moved it around. They didn’t let Bosnia control the game.
“What I did love was the response from this US Team,” Lalas said. “And again, it goes back to a different way of winning, but one that makes me just as happy, just as proud, in the way they didn’t go into a shell. As a matter of fact, they were pinging it around at different times.”
That approach paid off in the 82nd minute, when Malik Tillman scored the insurance goal. The USMNT held on from there, never really looking like they’d give up the lead.
Lalas also pointed out a double standard that rubbed him the wrong way.
“I feel horrible for Balogun,” he said. “Although it should be said, if his name was Messi, as we have seen early in the tournament, he would still be on the field, and he would still be able to play in Seattle on Monday.”
Whether you agree with Lalas or think Balogun deserved to walk, the reality is clear: the USMNT now has to face Belgium without its No. 9. That’s a tough break for a team that’s been building momentum.
But if they can play the way they did down a man against Bosnia, maybe they’ve got more in the tank than people think. The game Monday in Seattle will tell us a lot.
Leave a Comment