Folarin Balogun will have to sit out Monday's Round of 16 matchup against Belgium after receiving a red card on an incidental, yet ugly-looking, play.In going for a loose ball, Balogun and an opponent got incidentally tangled up to the point where Balogun stepped on the opponent's ankle, causing it to roll awkwardly.The video assistant referee (VAR) ordered the play to be looked at, and Balogun's transgressions were deemed "serious" enough for the red card.ZERO BS.
JUST DAKICH.TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD.
DOWNLOAD NOW!Referee Raphael Claus of Brazil shows a red card to United States' Folarin Balogun, right, during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)The red card not only ejected Balogun from the game and forced the USA to play the rest of the match with 10 men, but it also meant he would miss the team's Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.In his first public comments since the ejection (and suspension), Balogun said he disagreed with the ruling."First and foremost, it was totally unintentional, which I'm sure a lot of people know.
But, you know, I think the choice of the referee was, of course, his choice, but I don't think it was the correct call," he told reporters on Friday."I think a yellow card would have been fair due to it not being intentional.
There's not many places I can place my foot in such a scenario.But it's happened, and it's something that I have to accept and move forward from."Folarin Balogun of United States is shown a red card by Referee Raphael Claus during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round Of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California.
(Getty Images)FORMER TEAM USA STAR WANTS TO SEE RED CARD RULE CHANGE AFTER FOLARIN BALOGUN CONTROVERSY"There’s been lots of different emotions.I’ve been upset, I’ve been happ...