USMNT’s Folarin Balogun to Return for World Cup Round of 16 Against Belgium

The US Men’s National Team was caught off guard by a surprise decision from FIFA’s independent disciplinary committee, which lifted the suspension of forward Folarin Balogun. The player had initially been ruled out of the team’s World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium due to a red card in the team’s round of 32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, in a move that left many stunned, the disciplinary committee cited Article 27 of the disciplinary code, placing Balogun under probation rather than forcing him to serve the suspension. This decision was met with surprise and amusement from the USMNT players, with defender Chris Richards quipping, ‘I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first.’

The USMNT players and coaches were informed of the decision through official channels before their final training session before the game against Belgium. The team had been preparing for life without Balogun, but his return to the lineup has undoubtedly changed things.

‘If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all,’ forward Christian Pulisic said. ‘I felt like there was much worse ones that went on in this tournament. Again, I felt like Balo handled it so well and I think the team handled it well.’

Belgium’s head coach, Rudi Garcia, was also caught off guard by the decision and expressed his disagreement with the outcome. However, the RBFA has not lodged a formal complaint at this time.

Balogun has started three of the USMNT’s four games at the World Cup so far, only sitting out the 3-2 loss to Turkiye after head coach Mauricio Pochettino rotated heavily for a dead-rubber match. He is in line to return to the lineup on Monday, though the team did prepare for life without him in between the win on Wednesday and Sunday’s breaking news.

‘The team would’ve been ready without him,’ Pulisic noted. ‘We have guys that can step up, there’s no doubt about it. Obviously we weren’t sure that this would happen, so it changes things, but we were prepared.’

Balogun’s teammates were supportive of the decision, with defender Alex Freeman stating, ‘For him, it’s time to work. Obviously he found out he can play but now it’s how can he stay mentally prepared to be able to go out tomorrow and perform and still put out his momentum and actions he’s had.’

Now that the suspension has been lifted, the focus shifts to the task at hand. The USMNT will face Belgium in their World Cup round of 16 match on Monday, and Balogun’s return to the lineup will undoubtedly be a factor in the team’s strategy.

‘I think he’s keeping it cool right now,’ Richards said about Balogun’s reaction to the news. ‘I think he was still nervous about if it was true or not, but I think he’s very excited. He was just enjoying the post-July 4 celebrations that we had and just enjoying being American.’

Key Quotes

• ‘I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first.’
• ‘If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all.’
• ‘The team would’ve been ready without him.’
• ‘For him, it’s time to work.’