U.S. striker Folarin Balogun has been cleared to start Monday’s World Cup round-of-16 matchup against Belgium after FIFA suspended the red card he was given during the team’s previous game. A FIFA appeals committee also denied Belgium’s attempt to challenge that decision.
Balogun, who leads the American squad in tournament scoring with three goals, will line up in attack alongside Christian Pulisic. U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino named Matt Freese as the starting goalkeeper, keeping the lineup unchanged from the match against Bosnia.
On the Belgian side, notable players Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, and Jeremy Doku were all named to the bench rather than the starting eleven.
U.S. Starting Lineup: Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Alex Freeman, Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun.
Belgium Starting Lineup: Thibaut Courtois, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Nicolas Raskin, Amadou Onana, Dodi Lukebakio.
