The United States men’s national team advanced to the round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup thanks to Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it wasn’t all good news for the Americans.
Striker Folarin Balogun was issued a red card and ejected in the second half, which means he will also miss the upcoming match against Belgium. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino was not happy and believes it should not have been a red card.
“For me, never is a red card,” he told reporters. “I watched it after on TV, and never was the intention to step up of the player. That was a normal action in football that happened by accident. It’s never intentional, that is why for me, it’s never a red card.”
Despite Pochettino’s protests, the Red, White and Blue will not be able to appeal the ruling:
Considering Bosnia and Herzegovina took a physical approach in the first half with a number of fouls, tackles and jersey grabs that weren’t given yellow cards, there was surely some frustration on the Americans’ side that a play where Balogun appeared to unintentionally step on the opponent’s leg was given a straight red.
It also ended an excellent game for the attacker who scored the United States’ first goal and also had another goal called back for offside. He helped generate many of the team’s early attacks and was too difficult for the Bosnia and Herzegovina defense to handle for stretches.
The red card also put plenty of pressure on the Americans’ defense and goalkeeper Matt Freese, but they consistently turned away chances down the stretch to preserve the lead.
They then got some breathing room when Malik Tillman buried a free kick after a foul, which was enough to secure the win and set up a date with Belgium.
However, that contest will be all the more difficult without Balogun leading the offensive attack.
