SEATTLE — It is exceedingly rare for a player who has been robbed of the opportunity to compete in the biggest match of his life — in this case, the U.S. men’s national team’s round of 16 match against Belgium at the FIFA World Cup — to chat with a horde of reporters about that heartbreak. It’s more impressive still that Folarin Balogun did just that on Friday, his 25th birthday, without displaying even a hint of frustration or anger.
Yet there was the star USA striker flashing his 1000-watt smile just after being informed by a team staffer that FIFA had issued just a one-game suspension for the controversial red card he picked up after scoring the game-winning goal vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina two nights earlier in Northern California.
“That’s good,” Balogun deadpanned before grinning widely as the assembled media members erupted in laughter.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
With three goals in the three games he’s played at this World Cup, Balogun has emerged as one of the faces of the national team over the last few weeks. He’s possibly the most complete striker the U.S. has ever had, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will miss him mightily against the Belgians, FIFA’s 10th-ranked squad.
Making it worse is the fact that the play that saw Balogun sent off following video review should never have been flagged to referee Raphael Claus under FIFA’s own protocols. Standing just yards away, Claus didn’t even issue Balogun a yellow card for his inadvertent, accidental step onto the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.
The Brazilian official flashed the red only after seeing the slow-motion replay.
“For me, it’s important to be fair, even when I’m giving my opinion,” Balogun said. “There’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid, and that has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed. I felt it wasn’t on this occasion.”
“There’s nowhere else to put your leg,” he added. “It’s going to be unavoidable … I think a yellow card would have been fair.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino defended Balogun passionately in his post-game press conference. So did every one of his teammates.
(Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
None of it matters. FIFA doesn’t allow true appeals of red cards; only if Balogun had been hit with a longer ban than the automatic one-match given for a red card would the U.S. Soccer Federation had any recourse to ask soccer’s governing body to reconsider.
Even in the moment, though, Balogun barely protested.
“I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion,” he said. “There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring — little kids, boys and girls who are watching, you know, and you have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust. So I felt I did that.”
“I’m happy with the support I’m receiving from the team,” he continued. “We’re all looking forward to seeing what we can do against Belgium.”
Without Balogun, an already tall task becomes harder. The other two strikers on the roster, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright, have different qualities.
Pepi is a lethal finisher but not quite as adept at holding off opposing center backs with his back to the goal. He has started two games without scoring. Wright, six inches taller, is better in the air and has experience playing as a winger for Premier League-bound Coventry City, but isn’t quite as effective combining with others in open play.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Pochettino could start Christian Pulisic up top, as he did in a March exhibition against Portugal. But the coach would then have another hole to fill in a playmaking role, and there’s no obvious candidate who can also press defensively the way the hard-running Pulisic does — especially against a foe that is expected to have the bulk of the possession.
“When you miss a player like Balo, obviously things change a little bit,” said U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams. “But we’ve been flexible. Guys have shown that they’re ready to play, if it’s Pepi, if it’s Haji, if we go a different direction. Who knows? I’m not the coach. But it should be an exciting opportunity for whoever has to step up.”
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
That’s what Pepi did when Pulisic was forced to sit out the group stage win over Australia because of a calf injury, helping create space for Balogun in the build up to the own goal that stood up as the eventual winner.
The good news is that Balogun will be rested to face either Portugal or Spain if the Americans can advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
From the bench, Balogun will be their biggest fan.
“My role is just to continue to support everybody, to keep morale high,” he said. “The team comes first whether I’m out there or not.”
