{"id":90731,"date":"2026-07-03T17:16:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T21:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/suspended-balogun-vows-to-cheer-us-team-on-against-belgium-at-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T17:16:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T21:16:49","slug":"suspended-balogun-vows-to-cheer-us-team-on-against-belgium-at-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/suspended-balogun-vows-to-cheer-us-team-on-against-belgium-at-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Suspended Balogun Vows to Cheer US Team On Against Belgium at World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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SEATTLE \u2014 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.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino publicly pushed back on the decision, calling the contact accidental. Balogun agreed, saying the situation was simply unavoidable.<\/p>

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.<\/p>

“It’s been a rollercoaster, there’s been lots of different emotions,” Balogun told reporters ahead of Friday’s training session \u2014 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.<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

Even so, Balogun made clear he intends to be a presence for the squad even without setting foot on the field.<\/p>

“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.”<\/p>

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.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

US forward Folarin Balogun is sitting out Monday’s World Cup last-16 match against Belgium after being sent off in the win over Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite his frustration over the red card, Balogun says he plans to keep spirits high and support his teammates from the sidelines. The Monaco striker scored his third goal of the tournament before the controversial dismissal in the second half.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":90730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783113409093.jpg?fit=450%2C310&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-nBp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100344,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/sports-roundup-nfl-injuries-white-house-visit-nascar-retirement-and-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":90731,"position":0},"title":"Sports Roundup: NFL Injuries, White House Visit, NASCAR Retirement and More","author":"Admin","date":"July 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A busy day in sports news includes a major injury setback for the Carolina Panthers, the World Series champion Dodgers visiting the White House, and a NASCAR driver announcing his retirement plans. Also making headlines: a returning hockey legend, a controversial World Cup ruling, and a new contract for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784844108340.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784844108340.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784844108340.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784844108340.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1784844108340.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91775,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/fifa-clears-u-s-striker-balogun-to-play-despite-red-card-after-trump-infantino-call\/","url_meta":{"origin":90731,"position":1},"title":"FIFA Clears U.S. Striker Balogun to Play Despite Red Card After Trump-Infantino Call","author":"Admin","date":"July 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"American forward Folarin Balogun received a red card during the U.S. match against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the round of 32, which should have triggered an automatic suspension. However, FIFA made the rare decision to lift that ban, allowing Balogun to take the field against Belgium on Monday in Seattle. The move\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783359055461.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783359055461.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783359055461.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783359055461.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91913,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/balogun-cleared-to-play-as-us-faces-belgium-in-world-cup-round-of-16\/","url_meta":{"origin":90731,"position":2},"title":"Balogun Cleared to Play as US Faces Belgium in World Cup Round of 16","author":"Admin","date":"July 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. striker Folarin Balogun will be in the starting lineup when the United States takes on Belgium in the World Cup round of 16 on Monday. FIFA suspended the red card he received in a prior match, and a FIFA appeals committee turned down Belgium's attempt to overturn that ruling.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783379796632.jpg?fit=450%2C307&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89844,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/balogun-scores-gets-red-card-as-us-beats-bosnia-2-0-to-advance\/","url_meta":{"origin":90731,"position":3},"title":"Balogun Scores, Gets Red Card as US Beats Bosnia 2-0 to Advance","author":"Admin","date":"July 1, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"American striker Folarin Balogun had a night of extremes during the U.S. World Cup round-of-32 victory over Bosnia on Wednesday, scoring his third goal of the tournament before being ejected after a VAR review. Despite playing a man down for much of the second half, the U.S. held on for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1782962221453.jpg?fit=450%2C269&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":91546,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/u-s-takes-on-belgium-in-world-cup-round-of-16-after-fifa-lifts-balogun-suspension\/","url_meta":{"origin":90731,"position":4},"title":"U.S. Takes on Belgium in World Cup Round of 16 After FIFA Lifts Balogun Suspension","author":"Admin","date":"July 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The United States faces Belgium in a World Cup Round of 16 matchup with striker Folarin Balogun back in the lineup. FIFA made a surprise ruling to lift Balogun's one-game suspension stemming from a red card he received last week. 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The 25-year-old was sent off late in the U.S.'s 2-0 victory over Bosnia after a VAR review, though coach Mauricio Pochettino argued the red card\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/news-1783275380095.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}