Folarin Balogun’s red card controversy creates Monday Night Madness in World Cup

U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun will be available for selection on Monday night in the World Cup round of 16 after a series of chaotic decisions, phone calls with government officials and a failed, final appeal from Belgium.

A knockout stage win over a European side, standout performances from other players and more were lost in the madness over referee Raphael Claus’s decision to show Balogun a red card for a foul on Tarik Muharemovic. We can debate all the optics surrounding the foul, FIFA and its decisions to make similar decisions recently, the U.S. government’s role, the rules of the game, VAR and more… but more importantly what’s now difficult to analyze is Balogun’s first World Cup as the starting USMNT striker.

If you’re just getting into soccer now, plan to stick around or putting in your calendar four years from now when to start paying attention again, Balogun and the USMNT striker job have been constant topics for discussion for years now.

Coming out of the 2022 World Cup, the USMNT had a crisis at the position. Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright and Jesus Ferreira all failed to nail down that role—inserting Christian Pulisic up top wasn’t the answer either. The squad might’ve been succeeding in Concacaf, but the USMNT needed to figure out who would lead the line in four years time on home soil.

Balogun, who was also eligible to represent England and Nigeria, chose the USMNT in May 2023 and immediately all the pressure was put on his shoulders to solve the problem. The 25-year-old originally garnered praise during his time in Arsenal’s academy over in England. The current Premier League champions similarly had a crisis at striker at the time, though he failed to stick with the first team. He spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Middlesbrough scoring three goals in 18 appearances.

Arsenal sent him back on loan for the 2022-23 campaign where Balogun had a breakout season scoring 22 goals in 39 appearances for Reims, during which he changed his national allegiance. After returning, Balogun was sold to AS Monaco as Arsenal moved on with Gabriel Jesus, Kai Havertz, Eddie Nketiah and Leandro Trossard viewed ahead of him.

Arsenal aside, no one was unseating Harry Kane in the England national team. Balogun’s national switch and club transfer weren’t solely opportunities to prove or establish himself as a player, but undoubtedly a pathway to realizing success.

He made an instant impact in his first call up scoring his first goal in the 2023 Concacaf Nations League final victory over Canada. However, the striker debate restarted a year later after the USMNT crashed out of the 2024 Copa America group stage on home soil—the first time a host nation had done so in the tournament’s history. He scored two goals, but coach Gregg Berhalter was fired afterward and subsequent shoulder and ankle injuries saw him miss 16 games on the road to the World Cup.

To his benefit, Wright and Pepi failed to nail the job down themselves despite success at the club level with Coventry City and PSV Eindhoven in England and the Netherlands respectively. Upon returning, performances against Japan, Ecuador, Australia and Paraguay reaffirmed Balogun’s likelihood to lead the line on home soil. The USMNT looked most adept when he played, either as a goal threat, holding and linking up play or occupying defenders.

The World Cup arrives, he scores two goals against Paraguay. He assists another against Australia and scores the game-winner against Bosnia and Herzegovina hitting LeBron James’s iconic “Silencer” celebration before getting sent off.

The narrative was supposed to be: “The USMNT striker debate is over, and their World Cup might be too.” Instead, we’re left with a mess of a controversy, one way or the other, as Belgium and the U.S. kick off in a couple hours.

If Balogun scores, well should he have really played? If the U.S. get outclassed (which they did in a March friendly losing 2-5) by Belgium, is that justice? What if Weston McKennie, who’s been one of the USMNT’s best players all tournament and who’s had to battle his own adversity at the club and international level—wins a penalty in the final moments of the game and Balogun scores the winner? What if he misses it? Who would’ve taken it if he wasn’t on the pitch?

I’ve certainly celebrated every goal, victory and advancement. I was worried we were doomed when Balogun got sent off because I’ve seen my club (Arsenal) be hard done by even more egregious red cards. I can’t imagine what the outrage would be like if they saw Declan Rice’s second yellow for kicking the ball away against Brighton all things considered for appropriate context…

But I was also putting my hopes in Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Matt Freese, the bench and whoever was going to start up top to make sure Balogun got another game. Instead, he’s going to start and Pandora’s box can no longer be shut.

Fans will celebrate regardless if the U.S. wins, especially since it would be revenge for the 2014 World Cup loss despite Tim Howard’s iconic performance. Though, for some, if not most, the whole debacle will cast a cloud over whatever happens from here on out.

Bring on Monday night’s madness.