USMNT advance despite Balogun red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina

The United States beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 despite Folarin Balogun being sent off in the second half after a VAR review. Balogun had already scored the opening goal, but the red card means he is expected to miss the round-of-16 match against Belgium.

The incident involved contact with Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, with the referee upgrading the decision after checking the monitor. Malik Tillman later added the U.S. team’s second goal from a free kick, helping Mauricio Pochettino’s side finish the match with 10 players and still move on.

Pochettino disputed the decision after the match, arguing that Balogun’s action did not show intent to hurt an opponent. Weston McKennie also questioned the lack of an appeal route for a straight red at this stage of the tournament, while U.S. Soccer’s position was described as focused on any punishment beyond the standard one-match ban.

The result gave the United States its first World Cup knockout-round win since 2002, but it also creates an immediate selection problem. With Balogun unavailable, attention turns to how Pochettino uses the other forwards on the roster against Belgium.