It would’ve been natural for the United States to be seeing red after star striker Folarin Balogun got the boot during a 2–0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday.
Balogun put the ball in the back of the net twice in the first half—only one counted after officials determined the first goal came on an offside play—but a high-contact defensive tackle landed him in the locker room with a red card in the 64th minute after a video assistant review (VAR). Balogun will have to sit out the next game because of the infraction.
The Stars and Stripes had to last the rest of full time and about 10 minutes of additional time to hold off knockout-round debutant Bosnia and Herzegovina. But instead of ranting about the officials and the controversial call on Balogun, the squad’s top goal scorer, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and his charges were focused on themselves and the fact that the country had won just its second knockout-round game (the first came in 2002) in World Cup history.
The side not only held onto the lead without Balogun, but Malik Tillman did his best David Beckham impression, bending a shot over the wall and past Bosnian goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj from just outside the area in the 82nd minute for the second U.S. goal. The moment seemed to puncture the Bosnians as the Americans built a seemingly insurmountable late-game lead.
“I think it shows how strong the team is, you know. I think we went down a man and nobody really stressed out,” U.S. defender Chris Richards said. “It was unlucky for Flo, but it is what it is.
“So, we got on with it and, I think it was very important that we kept a clean sheet. And then I think the cherry on top was Malik’s free kick. So, overall, it wasn’t a perfect day by any means, but it was our day.”
When asked what the team said to Balogun in the locker room postgame, Richards basically said that the dismissal brought the players closer together.
“We told him that we’ve got his back,” Richards said. “Again, we know we’re a team of 26, not just one. So ultimately, we’re going to miss him for the next game, but we know that if it’s [Ricardo] Pepi, or whoever the case, [he’s] going to step up next—that they’re going to do their job just as well as he did.
“So, I think one thing about this team is that we’re really a big family and that we’ve shown it this whole tournament.”
As the man in charge, Pochettino chose a hydration break to challenge his players.
He said the team was talking on the break about “now we need to show that we are a team, that we are united.”
He added, “We are a family.”
“I think the team showed the qualities, the capacity to compete, to fight for each other,” he said. “The players ... they deserve all the credit.”
Pochettino, however, didn’t hesitate when fielding a question about Balogun being sent off.
“For me, never is it a red card. ... That was a normal action in football that happened by accident, and it’s never intentional. That is why for me, it’s never a red card,” said Pochettino, who added that his team failed to earn any decisions from the official on 50-50 balls.
The victory helped the U.S. team end a 10-game losing streak against European opposition, and it faces another side from the Europeans when it plays Belgium, which KO’d the Americans from the 2014 World Cup in the round of 16.
A lot of pressure was on the U.S. team, which came into the matchup against Bosnia as the favorite and was also last of the three joint-hosts—along with Canada and Mexico—to try to move through.
Canada had on Sunday ousted South Africa 1–0 for the country’s first knockout-round triumph, while Mexico dumped Ecuador 2–0 on Tuesday to advance.
So amid high expectations against a team FIFA has ranked 61st in the world, the 15th-ranked Americans faced no small task. But thanks to Balogun, a much-needed and highly skilled free kick from Tillman and tight defense along the back line, the Stars and Stripes team is set to take on world No. 9 Belgium in the round of 16 in a game in Seattle on Monday.
