USMNT fans can breathe easy. Folarin Balogun is back in the lineup for Monday night’s Round of 16 clash against Belgium, and the internet has turned the whole saga into a full-blown meme festival. FIFA denied Belgium’s appeal to uphold Balogun’s red card from the Bosnia game, ruling the request ‘inadmissible’ hours before kickoff. The decision set off a wave of reactions from athletes, fans, and anyone with a working sense of dramatic irony.
The red card itself came during the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia, and it looked like Balogun would miss the Belgium game. But FIFA’s disciplinary committee reviewed the play under Article 27 and decided the suspension didn’t hold. Belgium filed a protest, arguing the process was rushed. FIFA didn’t buy it. And now Balogun will wear the crest on the pitch at what might be the biggest USMNT game in decades.
Former NFL star JJ Watt weighed in, keeping it blunt: ‘You root for your country. I think the red card was wrong. You think the appeal process was wrong. We disagree. I am American, so I’m pleased Flo can play. It will ultimately be decided on the field. Ball don’t lie.’
Robert Griffin III also chimed in, pointing out that Belgium’s protest had less to do with ‘integrity of the game’ and more with playing a shorthanded US side. ‘If it was about the integrity of the game, they would be championing Balogun…’ he wrote. Fans on X posted everything from Uno reverse card jokes to a video of Romelu Lukaku and Belgium’s squad looking shell-shocked at seeing Balogun in the starting 11.
This isn’t just a warm body back in the rotation. Balogun has been the USMNT’s most dangerous finisher in this World Cup. He’s got three goals already, and with one more he’d tie Bert Patenaude’s 1930 record for most goals by an American in a single World Cup. That’s 96 years of history sitting there waiting for him.
What Pulisic Said About the Reversal
Christian Pulisic downplayed the chaos when asked about the lineup adjustment. ‘Of course, you have other guys filling in and trying to figure out what the lineup could look like,’ Pulisic said. ‘But we didn’t have anything set. Not some crazy adjustment we have to make. We have a day, we have to train, and yeah, it’ll be great. Just knowing that we’re going to have him around tomorrow, it just helps so much and gives us a big boost.’
Belgium will not be thrilled, but the game has to be played. The USMNT gets its top scorer back. The memes are already legendary. And the ball, as JJ Watt said, doesn’t lie.
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