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The U.S. Men’s National Team is coming off a massive win Wednesday night over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but a big cloud hangs over them heading into their next game against Belgium.
That’s because the team is without star striker Folarin Balogun after he received a wildly controversial red card in the second half of the match.
Of course, that means a suspension is on the way, but the U.S. got some good news on Friday when FIFA confirmed that the suspension would only be for one game.
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While it was always quite unlikely that FIFA could add extra games to Balogun’s suspension, they have formally decided not to, and that is the best possible outcome for the US in this scenario.
American forward Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card was one of the biggest moments in the team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images))
There is no mechanism through which the US could appeal this decision, so all they could do was hope that the suspension would be limited to one match.
Balogun himself made his first comments on the incident on Friday, shortly after FIFA’s decision to uphold the one-match suspension was announced.
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“It’s important for me to say that, first of all, it was completely unintentional,” he said Friday. “The choice of the referee was his choice. I don’t think it was the right choice. I think a yellow card would have been fair because it wasn’t deliberate.”
“It’s something that happened; we have to move on and I have to accept that.”
Folarin Balogun of the United States celebrates his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium on June 12, 2026. (John Dorton/USSF/Getty Images)
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Balogun will certainly be missed for Monday’s match against Belgium in Seattle as he leads the team with three goals in this tournament.
But now, if the Americans are able to upset the Belgians a bit, they’ll be relieved to know he’ll be back in action in the quarterfinals.
