Balogun red card rules him out for U.S. Belgium clash
Folarin Balogun’s 64th-minute red card means the U.S. loses its leading scorer for Belgium, a sharp blow before its first knockout test in 24 years.
Folarin Balogun scored the opener just before halftime in the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, then was sent off in the 64th minute after Raphael Claus reviewed the play on the pitch-side monitor and showed a red for serious foul play.
Balogun will miss Monday’s Round of 16 against Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle because FIFA rules a straight red brings an automatic one-game ban, and the referee’s on-field decision cannot be appealed. The United States played the final 36 minutes of regulation and 10 minutes of stoppage time with 10 men, but still finished off a result that sent the team into the last 16. It was the U.S. men’s first World Cup knockout victory in 24 years and their first since 2002.
Pochettino said Balogun was “sad” and “disappointed” in the locker room and made clear he did not agree with the call, saying, “For me, never is it a red card.” He initially asked about the possibility of an appeal, and FIFA does not allow one. Weston McKennie called the lack of an appeal option “a bit bogus,” while referee analyst Andy Davies said the contact looked accidental and did not rise to the level of a red-card offense.
Balogun had been one of the U.S. men’s key attackers, giving the team both pace behind the line and a finishing threat in the penalty area. Against Belgium, Pochettino now has to redistribute those responsibilities across a thinner forward group, with Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman carrying more of the attacking burden.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
