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Folarin Balogun and the USMNT Red Card

Thursday, July 2, 2026
5 min read
Folarin Balogun and the USMNT Red Card

Folarin Balogun felt everything during that game. You could see it.

The US forward just blew the lead at half-time. A fortunate ricochet inside the box kindly enough, it fell right where he needed it to be. His fifth goal in his last six appearances for the USMNT. He was really running up the score there, pulling ahead before things got messy.

But then the dream just shattered. Right after the hour mark. A real dramatic turn happened.

Why was Balogun sent off? That’s the thing everyone is talking about now. It happened in the 64th minute. He was challenging Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović for a loose ball in midfield. Just tussling, you know?

As they wrestled possession, Balogun landed hard on Muharemović’s right ankle. A foul. Initial call let play continue. But immediately, things got heated. The Bosnian players started appealing for the dismissal. It felt like something serious had gone wrong there.

Then the VAR stepped in. They looked at it all, side-by-side on that monitor. Multiple replays. And then Raphael Claus changed his mind. He showed Balogun a straight red card. Serious foul play . The ruling was that the challenge endangered someone’s safety.

It instantly flipped everything for the US team. Balogun went from being the goalscorer to the first American player sent off in the whole tournament. Mauricio Pochettino's side had to play the last twenty-five minutes with ten men. That changes the dynamic completely, doesn't it? A huge shift.

Meanwhile, despite that disruption, the United States held on defensively. They managed to stay upright. And then Malik Tillman found a way. In the 82nd minute, he curled home a stunning free-kick. That sealed the 2-0 win. Made it to the Round of 16. A massive result nonetheless.

And Balogun’s story gets even stranger. He entered something unusual in World Cup history. He became only the fourth player ever to score and get a red card in a knockout match. Think about that: Zinedine Zidane, back in '06 final. Ronaldinho, quarter-final '02. Garrincha, semi-final '62. Balogun joins that little group now.

It felt like more than just a game result for the US either. It ended a really long wait. Against European teams, they’ve been struggling for ages. Before kick-off, they had only won one of their previous twenty-one World Cup meetings with UEFA nations (D7 L13). Winless in the last thirteen such matches since that Portugal game back in '02. A lot riding on this victory now. It just felt… significant.

Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board

Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.

#sensational#sports#global#trending

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