The U.S. men’s national team got Folarin Balogun back on Sunday, and the training footage made it obvious what that meant to the squad. The forward’s red card from the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina got overturned by FIFA, just one day before the USMNT faces Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16.
Balogun had been sidelined after a collision with Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic, who went down grabbing his shin. The referee showed a straight red. FIFA initially upheld the suspension, too. But on Sunday, the decision flipped. And Balogun was back on the training pitch in Seattle with a smile on his face.
The locker room reaction was immediate
Video from the training session showed Weston McKennie yelling “Welcome back” at Balogun as he jogged onto the field. A staff member stopped what he was doing to give him a hug. During the first rondo drill, Balogun got nutmegged almost immediately, and the whole group laughed it off.
USMNT legend Landon Donovan weighed in on the reversal with a video of his own. “The Flo Balogun red card has been suspended. It’s not for me to judge whether I like it or don’t like it. Obviously, in this case, I love it,” Donovan said. “In the end, they got the decision right.” He added: “He never should have been sent off. You never want to send off a player, especially when they have a chance to play in a Round of 16 in their home country.”
Clint Dempsey kept his reaction simpler — just a single emoji on social media.
What this means for the Belgium matchup
Belgium had been preparing for a USMNT attack without Balogun. Now the entire game plan likely shifts. Balogun has been the focal point of the American attack in this tournament, and having him available for a knockout game on home soil is the kind of break teams rarely get this late in a World Cup.
The USMNT has not commented officially on the reversal process, but the team obviously energized by the decision. Balogun was all smiles at training, embracing teammates and coaching staff. The match against Belgium kicks off Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle.
For now, the red card saga is over. Balogun is playing. And his teammates made sure everyone knew exactly how they felt about it.
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