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In the 31st minute, Folarin Balogun thought he was the star of the night.
In the 31st minute, Folarin Balogun thought he was the star of the night.
He tapped in a cross from Christian Pulisic, turned to face the stands, and pressed both hands down—LeBron James's signature "Silencer" celebration.
The linesman's flag went up. Offside. Goal disallowed.
By the 45th minute, he had poked the ball through the goalkeeper's legs. A nutmeg. 1-0.
July 1st, Santa Clara, World Cup Round of 16: USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina. A Monaco striker brought an NBA gesture to the World Cup pitch, and James responded on social media shortly after. Nutmeg, disallowed celebration, a like from the man himself. Rarely in American sports history has a soccer player enjoyed such crossover treatment.
Pochettino's top scorer had already bagged three goals in the tournament and looked ready to turn the entire World Cup into his personal highlight reel. But referee Raphael Claus had other ideas.
In the 28th minute, Balogun was brought down in the box by a Bosnia player. The Brazilian referee didn't point to the spot, didn't go to the monitor, just waved play on. Later, a goal from Balogun and one from Pulisic were both ruled out for offside. Every chance the USA created in the first half was snuffed out by the goalkeeper and the linesman.
Claus’s whistle that night was like rolling dice. Obvious contact in the box, no review. Then, over thirty minutes in, he made a call that infuriated the entire American sports world.
In the 64th minute, Balogun stepped on the ankle of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović during a challenge. It wasn't malicious—just a mistimed step in a 50-50 duel.
This time, Claus went to the monitor, reviewed the footage, and pulled out a red card.
Balogun stood there. From nutmeg goal to red card exit, less than 20 minutes.
His post-match comment was brutally honest: "A yellow card would have been fair." Pochettino was even more direct: "That is never a red card."
The USA was down a man with nearly half an hour left. Then, nothing happened.
A man up, Bosnia couldn't create any real threat in the remaining 26 minutes. Their total expected goals for the match was just 0.25. All their shots combined had less quality than a half-decent one-on-one chance.
The USA's total xG was 0.89. Bosnia had 3 shots on target. They dominated possession, sweating it out, but couldn't break through the American low block in the box.
In the 82nd minute, Malik Tillman stepped up to a free kick. Struck it, found the net. 2-0.
That goal sealed the USA's first World Cup knockout victory since 2002. Twenty-four years. American fans finally didn't have to process the game with "moral victories."
Final whistle. Weston McKennie blasted the red card as "bullshit" post-match. Tyler Adams was more pragmatic, saying Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright could step up, that the team wouldn't let one man carry the load.
NFL legend Jason Kelce questioned the red card standard point by point on social media: "Someone help me out here. That tackle looks completely unintentional—shouldn't a red card require intent or a dangerous action?" Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also publicly voiced his displeasure. A bunch of football players trying to teach FIFA a lesson—that itself was proof the World Cup had broken through in America.
Balogun is confirmed out for the Round of 16 match against Belgium on July 6th in Seattle. The red card carries an automatic one-match ban, with no room for appeal.
The USA advanced. But they'll be without their striker who scored three goals in the tournament. Belgium awaits in Seattle.