Despite receiving a controversial red card in the Round of 32, Folarin Balogun of the United States men's national team refuses to let that break his spirit.
Balogun had to leave Wednesday's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina due to a harsh challenge on centre-back Tarik Muharemovic. Although he wasn't initially penalized for his foul, a red car was given to him in the 64th minute after a brief VAR review. Luckily for the USMNT, that didn't prevent them from advancing to the Round of 16.
The bad news, however, is that FIFA upheld Balogun's suspension for this upcoming Monday's match against Belgium.
While training with the rest of the USMNT on Friday, Balogun was asked why he didn't get angry about the controversial red call. His response was truly inspiring.
"I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion," Balogun said. "There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it's unjust."
© Steven Bisig-Imagn Images.
Balogun also showed his true colors by shaking head referee Raphael Claus' hand at the end of the match.
"As said, you can feel like something, injustice can happen to you. It’s not an excuse to be disrespectful. I'm aware that the World Cup might be the first time a lot of American viewers are tuning in. So it's important just to show people, whether things happen to you, good or bad, just to continue to be yourself."
As you'd imagine, Balogun received plenty of praise for his classy comments this weekend.
"Ordering his jersey. Better man than me," a fan replied. "I would have embarrassed my family name."
"Regardless of what he accomplishes professionally, this guy has already won at life," a second fan wrote. "What an incredible talent and an even better human being."
"Not enough said for the class and respect Balogun displayed in such a tough moment," FOX broadcaster Stu Holden said. "Well done."
"Such a class act," USWNT legend Carli Lloyd declared.
How will the U.S. replace Balogun?
The USMNT could potentially slide Haji Wright into Balogun’s role for Monday's match against Belgium. It's also possible they lean on Ricardo Pepi, who got an extended run against Türkiye.
At the end of the day, replacing Balogun won't be easy considering how well he's played in the World Cup.
If the United States takes care of business against Belgium, that'd set up a quarterfinal match against either Portugal or Spain.
