SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Folarin Balogun‘s star turn at this World Cup went sideways early in the second half Wednesday night, as the American forward was sent off — after a VAR review — for dragging his cleats down the back of Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic‘s leg and onto his foot.
Despite being down to 10 players, the United States won 2-0, with Malik Tillman‘s exquisite free kick giving Mauricio Pochettino’s side a second goal after Balogun departed.
Pochettino said Balogun was “sad” and “disappointed” in the locker room afterward, while making clear that he believed the striker was wrongly ejected.
“For me, never is it a red card,” Pochettino said. “Never was there intention to step on the player.” He added: “If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK , I understand. But that was a normal action in football that you are, you know, fighting for the ball and your feet land, no?”
FIFA mandates that a player receiving a red card results in a one-game suspension, meaning Balogun will not be able to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.
Pochettino initially said he hoped the U.S. would be able to appeal that decision; when informed an appeal was not allowed, he said that he and his assistants would consider all the “different options” before making a decision. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said after the game it would appeal the suspension if the ban was more than a single game.
“I think in this stage of the tournament where every player is important, I think it’s a bit bogus,” U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie said of the team not being able to appeal the red card.
Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are the other forwards on the roster.
Pochettino was also asked about a similar instance from earlier in the tournament when Lionel Messi appeared to have done a similar action in Argentina’s match against Algeria. Messi wasn’t penalized on the play.
“For me, both were not a red card,” Pochettino said.
“I think there’s been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn’t given at all,” McKennie added. “So it’s disappointing and I don’t know the protocol of how they come to the conclusion, but yeah, from what my teammates have said, I don’t think it’s a red card.”
Balogun put the United States in front 1-0 just before halftime with his third goal of the tournament. He looked stunned as referee Raphael Claus of Brazil first went to the monitor, then, moments later, showed a red card in the 64th minute. Balogun trudged slowly to the dressing room, and the U.S. was forced to play the rest of the match with 10 players.
He became the fifth American to receive a red card in the World Cup after Eric Wynalda against Czechoslovakia in 1990, Fernando Clavijo against Brazil in 1994, and Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope against Italy in 2006. The AS Monaco striker is also the first player to score a goal and be sent off in a World Cup knockout game since France great Zinedine Zidane was infamously shown a red card for a head-butt in the 2006 final.
Even with Balogun sent off, the scenes following the win were of pure joy for fans, players and coaches, who sang a rousing rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after the first knockout round win for the U.S. since 2002.
“You feel part of something bigger, things that we are building here,” Pochettino said. “I enjoy being part of that amazing, you know, project. And of course, when that song starts to, you know, the sound in the stadium, it’s impossible not to sing.”
