A sleepy post-July 4th Sunday was interrupted by news of a shocking and nearly unprecedented reversal of fortune for fans on the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT): Star scorer Folarin Balogun is going to play against Belgium Monday night.
The superstar who scored the winning goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week was shown a red card later in the match on a highly controversial play that wasn’t even assessed a yellow card during live action. Instead, referee Rafael Claus, a Brazilian, undertook a lengthy VAR review of a collision in which Balogun inadvertently stepped on the ankle of a B&H player, and gave him a red card.
Under FIFA rules, a player shown a red card is not only disqualified from the remainder of the current match but is also ineligible for the next game.
That rule meant Balogun would not be available for Monday night’s Round of 16 contest against Belgium, where the USMNT will be competing for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002.
According to Article 27 in the FIFA rulebook, “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”
Balogun will be placed on a one-year probationary period, and if he commits a similar foul during that time, “the suspension shall be revoked by the judicial body and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement,” the article states.
That news led to considerable jubilation among U.S. fans who flooded X with memes and celebratory statements.
The U.S. men will face Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle on Monday night for a chance at a quarterfinal spot.