Mauricio Pochettino didn’t mince words. His striker Folarin Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of Wednesday’s World Cup Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the USMNT coach made it clear he thought the call was garbage.
“It never was intentional. It’s never a red card. Never,” Pochettino said after the 2-0 win. “If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that never was. It was a normal action in football that you are fighting for the ball and your feet land.”
The red card came after a video review. Referee Raphael Claus initially let play continue, but the VAR sent him to the monitor. He came back and showed Balogun a straight red for serious foul play on Tarik Muharemović. The US was already up 1-0 on Balogun’s first-half goal, so the team had to finish the match with 10 men.
The fallout
Balogun will miss the Round of 16 clash with Belgium. Under FIFA rules, a straight red with a one-game ban can’t be appealed. Pochettino learned that during his press conference, and he didn’t love hearing it. The USMNT’s leading scorer is out, and there’s no way around it.
Pochettino said Balogun was devastated by the call but tried to focus on the bigger picture.
“He’s disappointed. He’s sad because it wasn’t his intention,” Pochettino said. “But he’s also happy because we qualified.”
The US didn’t just hold on. Malik Tillman curled in a gorgeous free kick in the 82nd minute to make it 2-0 and seal the win. That goal took pressure off a shorthanded defense that had to survive about 25 minutes with 10 guys. It worked.
What’s next
Now Pochettino has to figure out how to replace his top scorer against a Belgium team that knocked the US out of the 2014 World Cup. That’s not a small problem. Balogun is the guy who makes the attack tick. Without him, the US might lean on Christian Pulisic or Brendan Aaronson in a false nine role, or maybe Ricardo Pepi gets the start. The team hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but the options are limited.
Pochettino sounded like a man who knew he’d be answering questions about this for the next week. He wasn’t backing down from his stance, though. That might not change anything for FIFA, but it tells you everything about how the coach sees the moment. The US is through. But they’re also short a star.
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