SEATTLE — United States forward Folarin Balogun says the red card he received during Wednesday’s last-32 World Cup victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina was an unfair ruling, but he’s already shifted his attention to doing whatever he can to help the team in Monday’s round-of-16 showdown with Belgium.
Balogun had quite the eventful afternoon against Bosnia, netting his third goal of the tournament to put the U.S. ahead early, only to be ejected in the second half after his foot came down on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic.
U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino publicly pushed back on the decision, calling the contact accidental. Balogun agreed, saying the situation was simply unavoidable.
The Monaco forward described the aftermath as an emotional whirlwind. He said getting a reaction from NBA legend LeBron James following his goal celebration was “a surreal moment,” but that joy was quickly overshadowed by the realization that he would miss the next match due to suspension.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, there’s been lots of different emotions,” Balogun told reporters ahead of Friday’s training session — a session that kicked off with coach Pochettino taking some baseball pointers before heading out to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Seattle Mariners’ game later that evening.
“I’ve been sad, I’ve been happy, it’s been surreal to be honest,” Balogun said. “It’s important for me to say, obviously, first and foremost, it was totally unintentional, which I’m sure a lot of people know. I don’t think it was the correct call. I think a yellow card would have been fair.”
Even so, Balogun made clear he intends to be a presence for the squad even without setting foot on the field.
“Just to support the boys, support the team,” he said. “I love seeing how engaged the country is in our journey and what we’re doing. I think my role is just to continue to support everybody, to keep morale high.”
The U.S. players looked loose and energetic throughout the training session, later moving to a nearby ballpark for a casual baseball game. Defender Tim Ream reportedly stood out at the plate during the outing.
