Team USA may have made it to the round of 16, but it only gets harder from here. It’s not simply because stronger opponents await as the tournament progresses. It is because two controversial officiating decisions have now stripped them of one of their most lethal attacking forces and handed them a significantly tougher path forward than they might otherwise have faced.

The first, and arguably the more damaging of the two, was Folarin Balogun’s controversial red card in the 64th minute of their round of 32 game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second was an equally contentious penalty awarded to Belgium in the dying seconds of extra time against Senegal. Together, these two decisions have combined to make Team USA’s World Cup journey considerably more difficult.

Folarin Balogun, who has scored three of Team USA’s ten goals in this tournament, received a straight red card for an action that many would struggle to classify as intentional foul play. While vying for a loose ball with Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic, Balogun attempted to shield the ball and plant his right foot. In doing so, his studs inadvertently dragged down the back of Muharemovic’s calf and landed on his ankle, causing it to twist awkwardly. It was an accidental and clumsy challenge, but one that would prove costly for the USMNT striker.

Brazilian referee Raphael Claus did not initially call a foul. However, the Video Assistant Referee intervened, flagged the play for review, and ruled it as serious foul play. That resulted in the straight red card and an automatic one-match suspension. To their enormous credit, Team USA played out the remainder of the game with ten men. And yet, they still managed to add a second goal to the one Balogun had already scored in the 45th minute, winning 2-0.

Of course, ten men were enough to dispatch Bosnia. But against Belgium, who they will now face in the round of 16, eleven players, even with Balogun on the pitch, would have still represented a considerable challenge. Without him, the task becomes even more formidable.

But even with Balogun’s absence, the situation might have felt slightly more manageable had things gone differently in the Belgium-Senegal game.

Senegal, a considerably less daunting opponent for Team USA, at least on paper, were leading 2-0 as late as the 85th minute. They appeared on course to qualify for the round of 16. But then they threw it all away in the final five minutes and injury time, conceding twice to take the game to extra time.

Had it gone to penalties, which is any team’s game on any given night, Senegal might still have found a way through. But a deeply controversial penalty in literally the last second of extra time denied them that opportunity. In the 119th minute, Belgium’s Youri Tielemans and Senegal substitute Lamine Camara both lunged toward the near post as a low cross flashed into the Senegal box. In an attempt to clear the danger, Camara’s right leg made minimal contact with Tielemans’ left boot.

Tielemans, on his own part, bought every inch of that contact, went to ground, and sold the foul with conviction. To referee Saíd Martínez’s credit, he did not initially award a penalty. But a lengthy VAR review eventually persuaded him otherwise. And Tielemans stepped up to convert, sending Belgium through in the cruelest possible fashion.

And so Team USA now face their toughest opponent yet in this tournament, without their most formidable striker. Manager Mauricio Pochettino, who has done well so far, now has a significant tactical challenge on his hands: finding the right replacement for Balogun and the right setup to give his underdog side a genuine chance of pulling off an upset against Belgium. 

In football, they say anything can happen. And perhaps it is not yet time to rule the United States out entirely.

Can Team USA Appeal Folarin Balogun’s Red Card?

One of the most pressing questions since Folarin Balogun’s red card has been whether the decision can be appealed and the card overturned. Sadly, the answer is no, and Balogun will have to serve his one-match suspension against Belgium.

Unlike club competitions such as the Premier League or La Liga, FIFA World Cup regulations do not permit teams to appeal on-field referee decisions or overturn automatic one-match suspensions. Under FIFA regulations, all referee decisions regarding facts connected with play are considered final and cannot be challenged through an appeals process.

The only ground on which an appeal is possible is if the match ban extends beyond one game. In such cases, a team can appeal to have the number of additional suspensions reduced back to one. But with Balogun’s ban standing at exactly one match, that avenue is simply not available to Team USA.

With his suspension now confirmed, Balogun will not be able to take the field against Belgium. He will be able to attend the game, but he’ll only be able to watch from the stands as his teammates take on the challenge without him. Whether he gets to rejoin the squad on the pitch in this tournament depends entirely on one thing – Team USA finding a way past Belgium in the round of 16.