Folarin Balogun admits the controversial suspension of his red card during the USMNT’s World Cup 2026 campaign may have had a detrimental impact on his teammates.
It seems a shame that Balogun’s breakout World Cup has been dominated by debates over the controversial decision to suspend his red card, which allowed him to play in the last-16 against Belgium.
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After receiving a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a FIFA disciplinary committee decided to suspend his ban, while US President Donald Trump claimed he had intervened.
The unprecedented nature of it all sparked so much debate and Balogun admits that it might have played a part in the USMNT’s eventual World Cup exit.
Balogun saw nerves in USMNT ranks after red card controversy
Asked by CBS Mornings how he really felt about the matter, the Monaco forward said: “My initial reaction was that I was happy to be back in the team.
“But when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy. I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that is so unique.
“The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could. It was difficult, you know, a lot of outside noise and that’s hard to avoid.”
The USMNT were certainly brought crashing back down to earth after all of that drama.
Indeed, Balogun was ineffective as the USMNT lost 4-1 to Belgium in Seattle to leave their World Cup dreams in tatters.
Trump was mocked by the Belgium players after they beat the USMNT and the dust is yet to settle on perhaps the most controversial red card call in World Cup history.
Many suggest it set an unwelcome precedent for the sport and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been widely criticized during the fallout.
In the end, it clearly didn’t matter. The USMNT were well beaten by Belgium, though it would be fascinating to know exactly what would have happened had the game not been shrouded in controversy heading into it.
Monaco forward Balogun, who is eligible to represent the United States because he was born in the country, scored three goals in four games to get his team into the last 16.
The 25-year-old has certainly been one of the breakout stars of the tournament and seems set to lead his team into the next few international tournaments.
The 2028 Copa America is reportedly expected to be played in the United States, and it would not be a surprise to see Balogun again lead the line when that gets underway.
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