Folarin Balogun experienced a night of mixed emotions during the World Cup’s round of 32 in Santa Clara. Initially, he boosted the United States’ chances with his third goal of the tournament, putting his team ahead against Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, his participation ended early following a red card early in the second half, ruling him out for the next game.
Teammate Christian Pulisic expressed disappointment after the U.S. secured a 2-0 victory, stating, “It’s so unfortunate honestly. It just seems so harsh for us to get that. He’s done so much for us, and now we got his back. If he has to miss the next game, it’s just ridiculous for something like that.”
Balogun celebrated his goal using “The Silencer,” a move popularized by NBA star LeBron James. Though his first goal was disallowed for offside, his official contribution came when Malik Tillman’s pass deflected off Bosnia’s Stjepan Radeljic’s sliding clearance attempt, allowing Balogun to score with his left foot past goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
The red card incident occurred when Balogun stepped on Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle. Initially, the referee Raphael Claus did not issue a card, but after a video review, Balogun received a red card. “It never was intentional,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino stated. “It’s never a red card. Never. … If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that never was. It was a normal action.”
Remarkably, Balogun became the third player in World Cup history to score and receive a red card in a knockout game, joining Brazil’s Ronaldinho in 2002 and France’s Zinedine Zidane in 2006. “Pretty cool record, huh,” remarked teammate Chris Richards.
Due to the red card, Balogun will serve a one-game suspension for the upcoming match against Belgium. Since the suspension is one game, no appeal process is available. Weston McKennie criticized the system, saying, “Obviously the ref made a decision that he made, but I think it’s questionable. I think there’s been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn’t given at all. It’s disappointing.”
Despite the setback, Balogun received support from his teammates and Bosnian defender Sead Kolasinac. After the game, he even returned to the field to celebrate with his team and shook hands with the officials.
The U.S. plans to consider Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright for the game against Belgium. Wright commented on the situation, “It’s a tough decision to make. In the heat of the moment I think the stills look worse than it did live. But I’m always ready and prepared to do my best for the team.”
Balogun’s goal placed him alongside Landon Donovan with the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, trailing only Bert Patenaude’s four in 1930. His red card is the fifth in U.S. World Cup history, following incidents involving Eric Wynalda in 1990, Fernando Clavijo in 1994, and both Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope in 2006.
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