The United States is through to the next round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 but the talk after Wednesday's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had little to do with the scoreline.
It was a red card that took over the conversation and it hasn't let go since. Co-host USA was cruising when the match turned on a single moment midway through the second half.
Folarin Balogun went in with a studs-up challenge on Tarik Muharemovic's right ankle and Brazilian referee Raphael Claus initially waved play on. Then came the VAR review.
Claus was called to the monitor and reversed his decision, sending Balogun off and leaving the United States to see out the final stretch with 10 men. The result held but the debate didn't take long to start.
REUTERS - Pedro Nunes
NFL Stars React to Balogun Red Card
Several NFL names jumped into the conversation almost immediately. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams both made their feelings clear on social media and so did former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
"Red card is insane man! 👎🏾👎🏾," Williams wrote.
“Man what…,” Mahomes kept it short but said plenty, “Come on!!!!!!!!!!"
"Man, somebody help me. That foul looked incidental from Balogun, shouldn't a Red Card be given if there is either intention to foul, or an action that is aggressive and unsafe in nature. Didn't feel like Balogun was out of control or anything, just looked like it kind of happened." Kelce had more thoughts.
They weren't alone. Fans across social media piled on and many of them brought up a specific comparison that made the Balogun call look even harder to defend. Earlier in the tournament, Lionel Messi went in on Algeria captain Aissa Mandi while Argentina was leading 1-0.
Tracking back to win the ball, Messi lost his balance mid-challenge and his trailing foot came down on the back of Mandi's right calf. Replays showed his boot sliding down toward the defender's Achilles tendon.
Referee Szymon Marciniak stopped play and gave a free kick but showed Messi nothing. VAR reviewed it and chose not to recommend a card either.
The contrast with what happened to Balogun didn't sit well with a lot of USMNT fans watching and the debate around FIFA's officiating consistency isn't going away anytime soon.
