Christian Pulisic Addresses Folarin Balogun’s Red Card After USMNT Holds On for Win

The USMNT walked out of their Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a win, but it came with a headache that could cost them in the knockout rounds. Folarin Balogun got a red card. Christian Pulisic didn’t hold back when asked about it after the game.

“I feel like our game plan went really well. Everything went to plan. Then, of course, the red card changes things. We played so well. We probably didn’t deserve that,” Pulisic told reporters, according to Yahoo Sports. It’s the kind of frustration you’d expect from a player who saw his team lose a forward for the rest of the match and possibly longer.

Before the red, Balogun had already put the US up 1-0 with a goal. The guy was playing well. But on a challenge for a ball played by Antonee Robinson, Balogun’s cleats caught Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle. The referee saw it, reached for the red, and Balogun was gone. Just like that, the USMNT had to play shorthanded for the rest of the game.

They still managed to score again and walk away with the win. Good for them. But here’s the real issue: that red card comes with a suspension. Balogun will miss the Round of 16 match against Belgium. And if you’re the USMNT, losing a guy who just scored for you right before a game against Romelu Lukaku and a Belgian side that’s always dangerous? That’s not ideal.

Why This Red Card Hurts More Than Just One Game

The USMNT has not made it past the Round of 16 since 2002. That’s a long time. They fell to Germany in the quarterfinals that year, and they haven’t been back since. Now they’re facing Belgium, a team with a veteran striker who knows how to punish mistakes. Without Balogun, the margin for error gets even smaller.

Belgium has Lukaku. The USMNT has depth but no clear replacement for Balogun’s specific skill set. The team will have to adjust, maybe shift formations, maybe rely on someone else to step up. It’s not impossible. They just beat a team while down a man. But Belgium is a different animal.

Pulisic didn’t say anything about the suspension in his postgame comments. He just focused on the game they won. But the reality is sitting there. The USMNT overcame adversity once. They’ll probably have to do it again if they want to keep this run alive.

The Round of 16 is next. History says they usually bow out here. But history also says they haven’t had a striker this good in a while. Now they have to face Belgium without him. We’ll see how that goes.