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John Harkes, a member of the 1994 USMNT World Cup squad, was at Levi’s Stadium Wednesday night and had the same reaction as almost everyone else when Folarin Balogun had to leave the game.
“We kept going, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not a red card,'” Harkes said of his reaction in an interview with Pakinomist Digital.
“You know, we’re in the stadium, and immediately I think I was standing there next to my daughter-in-law and our grandson, and then my son and my wife. Both my son and my wife, Cindy and Ian, turned around and said, ‘That’s not a red card.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God,'” he said. “I don’t think it was a red card at all, to be honest with you.”
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Bosnia’s Sead Kolasinac (5) talks with USA’s Folarin Balogun after Balogun was sent off as Christian Pulisic (10) watches during the World Cup round of 16 match between the USA and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Julio Cortez/AP)
With Balogun’s absence, the USMNT had to play with 10 men for the rest of the game. However, a red card results in an automatic ban for the next match, meaning a referee can change multiple matches with just one decision, although it is, as Harkes put it, a “50/50” game.
Harkes was “a victim” of something similar in 1994, the last time the US hosted the World Cup before this year. He received yellow cards in the first and third games, which meant a suspension for the United States’ match against Brazil on July 4.
“It devastated me. I kept thinking to myself, this is the best in the world coming together and you’re going to sit a player out for the next game because of yellow card accumulation?” Harkes said.
USA’s John Harkes (6) in action against Switzerland’s Marc Hottiger (2) during a Group A match at the Pontiac Silverdome. Pontiac, Michigan. (John Biever/Getty Images)
FIFA RULES LEAVE TEAM USA NO EXIT AFTER Folarin BALOGUN’S CONTROVERSIAL RED CARD
Football is definitely not baseball, where the rules are constantly changing. But if there was one, Harkes would like to see that red cards from one game did not affect others.
“It’s way above my grade, but at the same time, so many people are discussing it on a consistent basis. So let’s really take a look at this and see: Does it make sense? I don’t think it does. Not in a tournament format. I don’t think so,” he said.
Unfortunately for the US, there is nothing anyone can do. Article 9.6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations reads: “There shall be no objection to the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected to play. Such decisions are final and may not be appealed, except as otherwise provided in the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
“If a player or team manager is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match,” Article 10.5 states.
Folarin Balogun of the United States is shown a red card by referee Raphael Claus during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Getty Images)
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While it doesn’t appear that Balogun had any bad intentions, the U.S. has no choice but to find a replacement for someone who has arguably been its best player in what may now be the most important game in American soccer history on Monday night.
