On an otherwise beautiful Monday evening in the Pacific north-west, the United States’ World Cup dream ended with a thud. A 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the last 16 sealed their exit at the same stage as their last three appearances, but the real damage may have been done long before kick-off.
The controversy began when Folarin Balogun was sent off against Bosnia & Herzegovina. The red card was initially set to rule him out of the knockout tie, but FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee overturned the ban – only the second time a red card has ever been rescinded at a World Cup. The decision came after US President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino to discuss the matter. Infantino later issued a statement insisting that judicial bodies are independent and that he “regularly discuss[es] matters related to the FIFA World Cup with the President of the United States”.
“USA lose 4-1 to Belgium in World Cup last-16 amid storm over Folarin Balogun’s overturned red card after Trump call.”
Balogun’s reinstatement drew fury from across the continent. UEFA expressed its “disbelief”, calling the overturn “unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable”. The Belgian FA said it would contest Balogun’s eligibility and had previously stated it was “deeply concerned”. Balogun was also fined $40,000, half to be paid by US Soccer.
Despite the turmoil, US coach Mauricio Pochettino named Balogun in the starting XI. But the team’s performance failed to match the dazzling form that had set the world on notice earlier in the tournament. “From the beginning, we didn’t connect with the game,” Pochettino said. “Congratulations Belgium, they were better than us. We didn’t show what this team can show.”
Belgium manager Rudi Garcia sprang his own surprise, leaving Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku on the bench. Nicolas Raskin and Dodi Lukébakio came in, and the Red Devils ran riot. Missed defensive assignments, poor giveaways and a moment of panic from goalkeeper Matt Freese sealed the US’s fate. The question this team had rallied around – “Why not us?” – has been replaced by a more bitter one: “What could have been?”