When Folarin Balogun saw his red card rescinded under unprecedented circumstances, the USMNT locker room faced all emotions. The captain of the USMNT explained the locker room feelings, ranging from shock to confusion, and how they impacted their journey at the World Cup.
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After the USMNT’s shock 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16, Tim Ream, the skipper of the team, appeared on ESPN’s First Take and opened up on the scenes.
“A lot of guys were excited, were, you know, jumping up and down, were buzzing,” he explained how a few of his teammates were shocked at the events that unfolded. “I think guys were more wondering, like, how is this even possible, right? So I think there were definitely question marks.”
The USMNT’s striker and leading goal scorer, Folarin Balogun, saw a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina after an unfortunate clash of legs with Tarik Muharemovic. As harsh as the red card was, many thought the striker would miss out on the round of 16 clash against Belgium.
However, after intervention from the USA and FIFA changing its tune in the nth hour, Balogun’s suspension was rescinded, and he was available for selection for head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
“I think everybody’s perspective in that moment is probably going to be different. We’re all approaching him, saying, ‘Oh, this is incredible. Like the red card’s been overturned. You can play now.’
“Again, from his perspective, maybe it was all the attention that it was bringing. And, you know, I think that’s a unique thing. There are 26 guys within the team, right?” the USMNT’s Ream felt how the situation made Balogun feel awkward.
He scored thrice in the tournament up to that point and bagged the go-ahead goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina. But the conversations about his ban would dominate every debate rather than these on-field performances.
“The closer we got to the game, the more I tried to focus as best as I could. It was difficult, a lot of outside noise, and it was hard to avoid,” Balogun himself admitted on CBS Mornings when asked how the entire saga affected him and the USMNT.
Ream, however, felt differently as he believed the pressure was instead on FIFA for not laying out the process clearly.
“I don’t think it puts extra pressure,” he concluded. “I think it puts more eyes on, you know, FIFA and the process and why it was a red card to begin with or how it came to be and why it has been overturned. But for us, we’re players. We can’t focus on or control any of what is going on outside or the decisions that are being made.”
Ultimately, the USMNT collapsed under pressure in the round of 16. They looked clueless against a well-drilled Belgium team as the dreams of a home World Cup triumph ended tamely. The team was also accused of setting soccer in the country back by 100 years as debates on youth soccer and other issues raged on.
