Folarin Balogun was one of the brightest spots of the USMNT in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 3 goals in 4 games made him the USMNT’s biggest bet in the knockout stage. However, his red card against Bosnia and the reversal of the suspension before the round of 16 game against Belgium took away the momentum from the team. Balogun’s on-field dominance went on the back burner.
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After the USMNT’s elimination, Balogun was flooded with talk around his red card. This arguably frustrated him, as he mocked the red card controversy in his latest video.
“Me preparing for my last interview about this red card,” USMNT only shared Folarin Balogun’s TikTok video on X.
He was seen apparently preparing for an interview, probably his last, to talk about the red card controversy. But more than that, it seemed like a joke.
This was a direct dig at the continuous discussion around his red card. Fans and analysts are more interested in talking about his red card reversal than his on-field performance.
Balogun presented himself on the global stage during the USA’s opening game at SoFi Stadium, scoring two first-half goals. In doing so, he became the first USMNT player to score multiple goals in a single World Cup match since 1930. However, the red card controversy changed the momentum.
He was shown a red card against Bosnia, and hence he was supposed to be benched against Belgium in the round of 16 game. However, US President Donald Trump reportedly had a call with the FIFA chief, and FIFA announced a reversal of Balogun’s red card suspension. This prompted a few other nations, including Belgium, to protest. Amid all this uproar, the USMNT’s momentum got sidetracked.
“My initial reaction was happiness to be back with the team, but after reflecting, I knew it was going to create a lot of controversy, and I could almost sense some nervousness among my teammates because it was such a unique situation,” Folarin Balogun said via CBS. “The closer the game got, the more I tried to focus, but it was difficult. There was a lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid.”
The USMNT couldn’t survive against Belgium as they lost 4-1. And now, after their World Cup campaign ended, Balogun is flooded with questions around his red card. But he has now made it clear that he has had enough of this controversy overshadowing his contributions.
