Will Cain: President Trump pulled a Trump card on a red card
Will Cain enthusiastically discusses FIFA’s decision to overturn American soccer star Folarin Balogun’s red card to allow him to play. This decision, which was upheld after rejecting Belgium’s appeal, drew outrage from the Royal Belgian Football Association. Casting the fight as the United States versus “the world,” Cain highlights the controversy.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s time representing Portugal at the FIFA World Cup may have come to an end in Dallas on Monday afternoon as Spain progressed to the quarter-finals, 1-0, at their expense.
Coming off the bench for Spain, Mikel Merino electrified the World Cup crowd in second-half stoppage time when he finally broke the 0-0 deadlock for the decisive goal past Portuguese goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
Ronaldo, who never knocked on Spain’s door in this game – no team has yet conceded a goal in this tournament – stared into the crowd after a couple of desperation attempts were not good enough for Portugal as the final whistle blew.
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Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, USA. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)
Ronaldo was playing in his fifth World Cup and while there was heated debate over whether he should start for this team, he may leave the final tournament of his illustrious career with three more goals at this stage under his belt.
While Ronaldo and his Portuguese teammates ponder what might have been, Spain will await the winner of Team USA and Belgium, who play their last-16 match in Seattle on Monday night.
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The big story out of the Pacific Northwest is Folarin Balogun, the star USMNT forward who will be available to play after his red card was changed to a suspension – a similar FIFA disciplinary action given to Ronaldo – so he could participate in this World Cup.
It has been the talk of the tournament as President Donald Trump said he called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ask for a review of the controversial red card given in the round of 16 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the end, FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code, much to the displeasure of several football associations, including the Belgian group they face tonight.
Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal looks on during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, United States. (Torbjorn Tande/DeFodi Images/DeFodi)
The USA still took care of Bosnia-Herzegovina despite Balogun’s red card during the match, which put them down a man on the field compared to their opponent. Malik Tillman’s free kick goal was the nail in the coffin in the second half as the USMNT advanced with a 2-0 victory and look forward to their meeting with Belgium.
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Belgium almost didn’t make it out of the round of 16, but almost doesn’t count in the World Cup. Senegal had been leading 2-0 in the 80th minute of the match when Belgium finally came alive thanks to goals from Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans in the 85th and 89th minutes respectively.
It forced extra time and Senegal eventually conceded a penalty with just ticks left on the clock before a penalty shootout would have decided who advanced in the tournament. Tielemans did not waste the opportunity and slammed the door on Senegal’s hopes in crushing fashion.
Mikel Merino of Spain celebrates with teammates Pedro Porro and Fabian Ruiz after scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between Portugal and Spain at Dallas Stadium on July 6, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Hannah Peters – FIFA)
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As Team USA and Belgium prepare for their matchup, Spain will be kicking up their feet and maybe pulling out a notepad as they see who they’ll play in the quarterfinals later this week.
