SEATTLE — It is exceedingly rare for a player who has been robbed of the opportunity to compete in the biggest match of his life — in this case, the U.S. men’s national team’s round of 16 match against Belgium at the FIFA World Cup — to chat with a horde of reporters about that heartbreak. It’s more impressive still that Folarin Balogun did just that on Friday, his 25th birthday, without displaying even a hint of frustration or anger.
Yet there was the star USA striker flashing his 1000-watt smile just after being informed by a team staffer that FIFA had issued just a one-game suspension for the controversial red card he picked up after scoring the game-winning goal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina two nights earlier in Northern California.
“That’s good,” Balogun deadpanned before grinning widely as the assembled media members erupted in laughter.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
With three goals in the three games he’s played at this World Cup, Balogun has emerged as one of the faces of the national team over the last few weeks. He’s possibly the most complete striker the U.S. has ever had, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will miss him mightily against the Belgians, FIFA’s 10th-ranked squad.
Making it worse is the fact that the play that saw Balogun sent off following video review should never have been flagged to referee Raphael Claus under FIFA’s own protocols. Standing just yards away, Claus didn’t even issue Balogun a yellow card for his inadvertent, accidental step onto the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.
The Brazilian official flashed the red only after seeing the slow-motion replay.
“For me, it’s important to be fair, even when I’m giving my opinion,” Balogun said. “There’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid, and that has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed. I felt it wasn’t on this occasion.
“There’s nowhere else to put your leg,” he added. “It’s going be unavoidable … I think a yellow card would have been fair.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino defended Balogun passionately in his post-game press conference. So did every one of his teammates.
(Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
Pochettino could start Christian Pulisic up top, as he did in a March exhibition against Portugal. But the coach would then have another hole to fill in a playmaking role, and there’s no obvious candidate who can also press defensively the way the hard-running Pulisic does — especially against a foe that is expected to have the bulk of the possession.
“When you miss a player like Balo, obviously things change a little bit,” said U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams. “But we’ve been flexible. Guys have shown that they’re ready to play, if it’s Pepi, if it’s Haji, if we go a different direction. Who knows? I’m not the coach. But it should be an exciting opportunity for whoever has to step up.”
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
