On Wednesday, the United States Men’s National Team moved on to the World Cup round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Next up for the United States is a matchup against Belgium on Monday.
Now, FIFA has announced their final decision on the status of striker Folarin Balogun for Monday’s game.
FIFA Announces Folarin Balogun Decision for Belgium Game
Fox Sports’ Doug McIntyre posted on X: “Per #USMNT spokesperson, FIFA has confirmed that Folarin Balogun is suspended for one game.”
After Balogun opened up the scoring in the 45th minute, marking his third of the World Cup, which is the most out of any Team USA player, he was sent off in the second half after a controversial decision.
Balogun, seemingly inadvertently, tackled a Bosnia player, but stepped on his ankle. After a VAR check, the referee deemed the action to be worthy of a red card. The decision was met with controversy, as a similar action by Lionel Messi in Argentina’s first game went unpunished.
Fortunately, USA was able to hang on to their lead, and even added on after an impressive free-kick goal by Malik Tillman. However, Balogun’s red card loomed as the USA striker was automatically suspended for the next game. While some hoped that FIFA would reverse the decision due to the controversy, it appears that will not be the case.
Now, the USA will be without their top goal scorer as they aim to punch the ticket to the quarter finals, a round they have not reached since the 2002 World Cup in Korea.
USA vs Belgium Rematch
The match on Monday will mark a rematch from the 2014 World Cup, in which goalkeeper Tim Howard famously set a World Cup record with 16 saves. Unfortunately for the United States, despite Howard’s heroics, the team lost 2-1 in extra time as they were eliminated from the tournament.
Belgium enters Monday’s matchup with an up-and-down World Cup. They disappointed in their first two group stage matches as they drew with Iran and Egypt. Belgium then punched their ticket to the next round after a 5-1 win over New Zealand. Then, Belgium was minutes away from being eliminated against Senegal, but they overcame a 2-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes and then scored the winning goal in extra time.
If the United States manages to get past Belgium, they will then see the return of their top goalscorer. Balogun, who has scored three goals in three games, is also coming off a strong season in Europe as he scored 19 goals for Monaco this year.
FIFA Announces Final Decision on Folarin Balogun’s Status For Next USMNT Game