As he has been throughout the tournament, Team USA forward Folarin (Flo) Balogun was exceptional throughout the first 60 minutes of the Stars and Stripes' Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He scored an early goal that was eventually disallowed for offside, but netted one that counted in the 45th minute to put the U.S. up 1-0. The AS Monaco standout has consistently been Team USA's most effective player at generating offense, with Wednesday's goal marking his third of the tournament.
Around the 61-minute mark, Balogun was fighting for positioning with Bosnia and Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic, and ended up cleating the defender. After a review, Balogun was assessed with an immediate red card, disqualifying him from the rest of Wednesday's match and Team USA's next match if they should advance.
As one could expect, fans flooded social media to express their displeasure with the red card, with many thinking it was a hasty decision by the officiating crew.
"Really feel for Flo Balogun here. What a tournament he's had, scoring again today. No intent in that challenge either. Harsh decision. Now his teammates need to see out the rest of the game a man down and, if they do, Balogun can't play the round of 16. Just brutal," wroteUSMNT insider Tom Bogert.
"flo balogun is out for the next game because he accidentally stepped on a guy’s foot. unbelievably bad from fifa," said one fan.
"How do you give Flo Balogun a red card for this?!?! The ref just screwed #USMNT by taking out their star player for the rest of this game and the next," added a third.
"Flo Balogun won't be available for the next game if the U.S. advances. This call might have changed the entire course for the U.S. in this World Cup," commented another.
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Luckily for the U.S., they were able to get some breathing room thanks to an 82nd-minute free-kick goal by Malik Tillman to make it 2-0.
The winner of this game will play Belgium, one of the best teams in the world, which is heating up at the right time. If the U.S. were to win, having to play without Balogun could end up ending their run.
