The United States men’s national team is through to the Round of Sixteen at the World Cup — but they’re heading into Belgium with a major headache.
The Americans beat Bosnia and Herzegovina two-to-nothing Wednesday night in Santa Clara. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring before the U-S added a second to advance. But the story out of the game was a controversial VAR decision that sent Balogun off with a red card in the sixty-fourth minute for what most analysts called a routine fifty-fifty challenge. ESPN’s officiating expert called the protocol misapplied. Weston McKennie didn’t hold back — calling the call, quote, “bogus.” Christian Pulisic rallied around his teammate with a public message of support.
The problem? FIFA rules give the U-S no grounds to appeal — meaning Balogun, who’s been one of America’s top performers, will miss Monday night’s Round of Sixteen match against Belgium. Kickoff is eight p-m Eastern at Lumen Field in Seattle, live on FOX.
The U-S has gone unbeaten through group play and the first knockout round. They’ll need to do it without their best striker.
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