Folarin Balogun scored and then vanished from the pitch in the span of 20 minutes on Wednesday, leaving the United States to advance to the World Cup knockout round with both a victory and a looming problem.
The Monaco forward gave the US a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina with an early finish, then was sent off on a straight red card for contact with defender Tarik Muharemovik that appeared accidental to most observers. The ejection overshadowed a dominant performance that should have cemented Balogun as one of the tournament's breakout performers.
Referee Raphael Claus determined the play constituted violent conduct after consulting VAR, a decision that mystified head coach Mauricio Pochettino and left Balogun visibly distraught as he headed down the tunnel.
"For me it is never a red card," Pochettino said flatly. "Watching after on TV, it was never the intention to step on the player. That was a normal action in football that happened by accident and was never intentional."
The moment came at the edge of the area when Balogun and Muharemovik challenged for a ball. The American's right foot caught the Bosnian defender's ankle awkwardly as he planted, a collision that in real time looked like the contact happens in every match. Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, analyzing the play on Fox, suggested it should never have gone to VAR in the first place.
"When you watch it in real time, you don't see the ankle twist," Clattenburg said. "It's just that accident. This is just an accident. It happens. This doesn't meet, for me, the criteria of a red card."
Balogun's suspension cannot be appealed under FIFA policy, leaving him unavailable for Monday's last-16 matchup against Belgium. That forces Pochettino to remake his attack on short notice against an organized Belgian side that will almost certainly exploit the loss of one of the tournament's most dynamic strikers.
The 24-year-old had been among the US's most dangerous weapons through three matches, including a brace in the opening 4-1 demolition of Paraguay. Before his ejection on Wednesday, he nearly scored again early when he was correctly flagged offside, then calmly finished a deflected ball at the edge of the area with the composure of a veteran.
Balogun's goal came with extra significance one day after the US Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, a policy that made his career in the US national team possible. Born in Brooklyn while his Nigerian mother was visiting family in 2001, he was stranded there when his airline refused to allow her to fly home seven months into her pregnancy. The family returned to England shortly after, and Balogun was courted by both England and Nigeria before committing to the USMNT.
The red card will keep him sidelined for the Belgium game, ending what had been a breakout tournament run. Pochettino will likely turn to either PSV Eindhoven's Ricardo Pepi or Coventry City's Haji Wright as replacements, though neither has shown the finishing touch or offensive intelligence Balogun displayed across the group stage.
US midfielder Tyler Adams defended his teammate after the match, suggesting a yellow card would have been sufficient punishment.
"I think when you slow everything down, it is always going to look worse," Adams said. "I don't want to say too much."
Balogun became the first US player to receive a red card at a World Cup in 20 years, joining a small and unwelcome club. Eric Wynalda was sent off against Czechoslovakia in 1990, Fernando Clavijo in 1994, and Eddie Pope and Pablo Mastroeni in 2006 against Italy.
Author James Rodriguez: "The red card was soft, but Balogun can't afford to lose focus now, and neither can Pochettino figuring out how to replace him."
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