United States Men’s National Team star striker Folarin Balogun suddenly found himself at the center of some drama this week after FIFA allowed him to play in Monday’s match against Belgium despite the red card he received in the previous match. The decision was highly unusual, and United States President Donald Trump became directly involved.
Balogun did indeed play in Monday’s match, but it did not go the way he or the team had hoped, as he was held goalless and the team suffered a 4-1 loss to Belgium and was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the round of 16 yet again.
‘We let you down’
About 24 hours after the 4-1 loss to Belgium, Balogun took to social media to apologize to fans for the team’s performance.
“My debut World Cup… it hurts to wait 4 years to compete at the highest level our sport has to offer. I want to say sorry to our fans it was not good enough when it mattered most and we let you down,” Balogun wrote in a post on X. “Soccer in America will only become bigger the belief, the talent, and the passion is continually growing and I know the best days are in front of us, the future belongs to those who never stop believing, this moment will fuel us.
“We will be back,” he added. “Why not us? For the nation. For the flag.”
This was Balogun’s first World Cup appearance after the 25-year-old striker chose to play for the United States over England and Nigeria back in 2023.
Balogun Apologized to Belgium
In the lead-up to Monday night’s match, Belgium was outspoken in its opposition to the move, even warning the United States that if Balogun was in the lineup on Monday, that would leave “all further actions open.”
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia was especially frustrated, as he compared the decision to April Fools’ Day during his pre-match press conference.
“I didn’t know that July 5 was equal to April 1 at FIFA,” Garcia said in French, through an interpreter.
“We’re not defending the national team or federation,” Garcia continued. “We’re defending in football. … It’s the first time in World Cup history that such a decision is taken. I am a head coach, I will focus on my team, on tomorrow’s game. Regardless of the 11 starting players from the U.S., I will focus on my team.”
After the match, however, Garcia said that Balogun approached him to apologize.
“He came to talk to me. I really liked that. It is not his fault; he is not the one to blame, and that’s what I told him,” Garcia told reporters after the match. “I really appreciate the intention that he came to see me. I appreciate this player.”
About Dave Kelsey
Contributing author to The Comeback.