NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The U.S. men’s national team had all the momentum as Folarin Balogun’s red card from the round of 16 was suspended, giving him a chance to play in the round of 16 — at least that’s what American soccer fans thought.
The day before the USMNT’s round of 16 match against Belgium, which Balogun was originally scheduled to miss due to a red card in the previous game, FIFA ruled that he would be eligible.
The ruling added to what was already a huge controversy as it was argued that Balogun should not have been red carded in the first place. Nevertheless, Balogun was active despite an appeal and strong reaction from Belgium.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
US forward Folarin Balogun kicks the ball against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (David Gonzales)
It was hardly a nail-biter, however, as Belgium embarrassed the Stars and Stripes with a 4-1 win. If anything, the needle may have moved the wrong way, Balogun himself said.
“My first reaction was that I was happy to be back on the team, but when I started to reflect, I knew it was going to create a lot of controversy and I could almost see a little bit of nerves in my teammates because it’s something that’s so unique,” Balogun told CBS on Tuesday.
“The closer we got to the game, I just tried to focus as best I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise and it’s hard to avoid.”
Balogun said the whole situation was “confusing” when the team initially practiced without him. But the team found out on the bus to practice that Balogun would be active.
“Everybody was screaming and shouting,” Balogun said.
BELGIUM MANAGER PRAISES CLASSIC GESTURE BY Folarin BALOGUN AFTER RED CARD CONTROVERSY: ‘I REALLY LIKE THAT’
Folarin Balogun of the United States celebrates their first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California. (Phil Noble/Reuters via Imagn Images)
But that didn’t change the whirlwind of emotions that may or may not have contributed to the loss.
“It’s more just being able to separate the emotions from the job at hand. We’re all professionals, so it’s not something that I think was too difficult to separate when we got over the first announcement. You could see that it was a difficult game against Belgium, and that can overshadow whether we were focused or not. From being inside the camp and inside the set-up, I know we had full concentration,” he said.
President Donald Trump admitted calling FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the red card.
“All I did was I asked for a review because I didn’t think it was a mistake,” Trump said. “And again, I’m good at this. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two big athletes crashing into each other and getting tangled up. It wasn’t a guy punching somebody in the face or anything that would be different.
Team USA forward Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
“I think it’s terrible … if they wouldn’t allow a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best on the team, to play, I think that would have had a big stain. I passed it on. I didn’t tell him what to do. I don’t think he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision and they made the right decision because, no, and you wanted to see a game. best players.”
Belgium was knocked out by Spain in the quarter-finals and Spain will face France in the first semi-final on Tuesday in Atlanta.
