Balogun red card clouds U.S. advance to World Cup round of 16

Folarin Balogun will miss the Belgium match after a VAR review sent him off in the 64th minute of the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The victory put the U.S. into the World Cup round of 16, but it came with the team’s leading scorer now barred from the next step of the tournament.

Balogun had already scored his third goal of the World Cup and his 12th for the national team before the dismissal. That finish matched Landon Donovan’s 2010 total for the second-most World Cup goals by an American, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in 1930. He became only the fifth American player to receive a World Cup red card, after Eric Wynalda in 1990, Fernando Clavijo in 1994, and Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope in 2006.

The flashpoint came after Balogun stepped on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic’s right ankle and leg, a play reviewed by video officials before referee Raphael Claus showed the red card. FIFA rules make a straight red an automatic one-game suspension, and U.S. Soccer would only pursue an appeal if the ban were longer than one match. It cannot appeal this suspension, so Balogun is out for July 6 against Belgium.

Mauricio Pochettino now has to replace the team’s most reliable finisher and the striker who had been stretching back lines throughout the tournament. Pochettino said Balogun was “sad” and “disappointed” and argued the tackle was not a red card. Weston McKennie called the lack of an appeal option “bogus.” Chris Richards said, “We’re a team of 26, not just one.”

Balogun had earlier seen an offside goal disallowed, and the crowd at Levi’s Stadium answered the video review with loud boos.