Pulisic says USMNT must cover for Balogun after red card

Christian Pulisic said the USMNT had to work harder defensively after Folarin Balogun’s red card, and the group answered by covering more ground and protecting its shape. Pulisic’s message was direct: Balogun does a lot for the team, and the rest of the roster has to step in for him when the game turns against them.

That view fits the way Pulisic has described Balogun for months. In September 2025, Pulisic said Balogun “provides an out for the team,” a reference to the striker’s value as a release valve when possession gets tight and the U.S. needs a forward who can hold, link and finish. Balogun, born July 3, 2001, plays for AS Monaco FC and has 29 appearances and 11 goals for the USMNT.

His résumé already gives that praise weight. Balogun scored his first goal for the United States in the Concacaf Nations League final on June 18, 2023, when the U.S. beat Canada 2-0 in Las Vegas. Two years later, on Sept. 9, 2025, he started and scored again in a 2-0 win over Japan at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, with Alex Zendejas adding the other goal in front of 20,192 fans. U.S. Soccer described Japan as a World Cup-bound opponent, and the result helped close a window in which Mauricio Pochettino was still trying to sharpen the team’s competitiveness.

Balogun’s role has only deepened since then. In the 4-1 win over Paraguay in 2026, he scored twice, including one goal set up by Pulisic, a reminder that the two remain tightly connected in the final third. That connection helps explain why Pulisic is speaking publicly about covering for Balogun now: the U.S. attack has been built around Balogun as a central reference point, and the response to his red card showed a squad willing to absorb pressure and keep moving without losing faith in one of its most important scorers.