For the first time in, well, maybe forever, the U.S.Men's National Team looks, at times, dominant.
They control play and control possession.They're threading through balls at an elite international level.
They've outscored their opponents 8-1 with their starting 11 on the field.Malik Tillman's free kick goal to cement the 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina was world class.And it all might be taken away by absurd, unfair officiating.ALEXI LALAS RIPS REFEREES AFTER FOLARIN BALOGUN RED CARD IN TEAM USA WIN: 'AN ABSOLUTE JOKE'Folarin Balogun of United States of America walks off the field after receiving a red card during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between United States of America and Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1, 2026 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Folarin Balogun's red card came as the result of a series of ridiculous, unforgivable errors from the officials in this match.
And the players, coaches, and fans have noticed and pointed out what the laughable "process" has done to the legitimacy of FIFA's officiating staff.The biggest mistake? That the decision to go to VAR was made in the first place.Andy Davies, a referee who worked in the Premier League and Championship and was a Select Group referee for over 12 seasons, published a short analysis of the VAR process on this play for ESPN, saying that the review should never have taken place."VAR made their recommendation to the referee based on slow-motion and still replays, which is not aligned with VAR protocols, as these should be used for only point-of-contact purposes in a red card tackle situation," Davies wrote.Davies did explain that based on the letter of the rules, the tackle itself was always likely to receive a red card.
But the review should never have happened, because it was only recommended based on slow-motion replays.Importantly, too, many other similar plays have happened throughout the tournament, w...