The U.S. men’s national team punched its ticket to the World Cup Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. But the celebration came with a gut punch: Folarin Balogun saw a straight red card in the second half, and there’s basically zero chance he plays against Belgium on Monday.
Balogun had already scored his third goal of the tournament to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead before halftime. Then came the 67th minute. He went up for a ball down the left side with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic, and as he tried to win position, his cleats dragged down the back of Muharemovic’s leg — calf first, then ankle. Referee Raphael Claus initially let play go, but VAR pulled him to the monitor. After a look, Claus pulled out the red. The official call: serious foul play.
Why the appeal is dead on arrival
FIFA’s rulebook is pretty clear here. Article 10.5 of the 2026 World Cup regulations says any player sent off for a direct red gets an automatic one-game suspension. Article 66.4 says it’s automatic. Regulation 9.6 says the referee’s decision on the field is final and can’t be appealed. So the USMNT can’t challenge the red or the missed game. The only thing they could potentially fight is if FIFA’s disciplinary committee decided to extend the ban beyond one match. US Soccer said it would only appeal if that happened.
There’s been some chatter about whether the Court of Arbitration for Sport could step in. But CAS almost never overturns on-field calls. They deal with procedural stuff and off-field disputes, not whether a ref should have pulled a card.
Pochettino called it unfair
After the match, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said Balogun was sad and disappointed. He argued the striker shouldn’t have been sent off. Some fans and media pointed to an earlier tournament moment when Lionel Messi made a similar challenge and didn’t get a red. When asked, Messi said neither play deserved a card. Doesn’t change anything for Balogun though.
The red card also put Balogun in some weird history. He’s the fifth U.S. men’s player ever to get a World Cup red. And he’s the first guy to score and get sent off in a World Cup knockout match since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 final. Different stakes, obviously, but still a rough stat to carry.
So who starts against Belgium?
With Balogun out, Pochettino will likely turn to Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright up top. Both have had moments with the national team, but neither has Balogun’s hot hand this tournament. The U.S. held on to win 2-0 even after going down to 10 men, with Malik Tillman adding a late free-kick goal. That gave the Americans their first knockout win since 2002.
During his suspension, Balogun can sit in the stands but can’t be in the dressing room, tunnel, technical area, warm-up line or bench. So he’ll watch from a distance as his teammates try to keep this run alive without him.
Leave a Comment