Balogun scores prior to being sent off, BBC Sport
Ed Cofino
The World Cup has moved to the round of 16 teams, and Team USA is in it.
United States Men’s National Soccer Team played the last 35 minutes a man downagainst a tough Bosnia team. Their leading scorer was gone (Folarin Balogun),receiving a Red Card ejection that most believe was unwarranted and sent shockwaves through a packed house at Levi’s Stadium. And when it was all said and done, the United States Men’s National Team prevailed under difficult circumstances, 1 man down, playing 10 against 11, and still prevailing, still standing, 2-0 winners over Bosnia and Herzegovina, punching their ticket to the Round of 16, and singing John Denver’s iconic hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” in the locker room at the top of their lungs.
This team has earned it, looking like the moment is not too big, and ready to take it. Under duress of only having 10 players for almost half the game, under extreme pressure of being one of the host teams, playing without their best player for half of one game, and another game in its entirety. And now they must play against a top Belgium team without their top goal scorer.
Is this USA Men’s team up to that challenge? We will find out this Monday evening in Seattle.
How They Got Here
Let’s back up. The USMNT arrived at this World Cup with expectations, a home crowd, and as in previous years, the same old question. Could this group finally be the one to break through and compete deep into this World Cup Tournament? Three games into the group stage, they’ve answered loudly, and the World tooknotice.
They opened June 12 by dismantling a very good Paraguay Team 4-1 at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium), the most goals the Americans have ever scored in a single World Cup match. Folarin Balogun stole the show, becoming the first American to score more than once in a World Cup game since Bert Patenaude’s hat trick all the way back in 1930. Giovanni Reyna added the 4th goal in stoppage time and the statement was clear: this wasn’t the same old USMNT. They played the entire 2nd half without their best player, Christian Pulisic, who also plays for the European powerhouse AC Milan. But this team is deeper than in years past, not dependent on one player and their goalie. The aforementioned Folarin Balogun is their best striker, back line anchor Chris Richards, Defensive Midfielder Tyler Adams, the engine of the defense, Midfielder Weston McKinnie, Malik Tillman, an attacking midfielder and Antonee Robinson, nicknamed “Jedi” due to his constant movement and deep runs to set up scores. There are others that complement the squad in its entirety This deep is built different than years past, It’s built for a potential deep run that could surprise.
Game two, June 19 in Seattle: a crisp 2-0 win over Australia. Clinical, controlled, and exactly what was needed to keep the lead in their a group, playing without their best player. The team stepped up big time. The Americans were through to the knockout round before their third match had even kicked off.
That final group game against Turkey on June 25 in Los Angeles was what it was, a game in which they rested the majority of their starters, and a literal last second goal was a small gut punch, as theUS ended up on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeatwith Turkey, who ended a 24-year World Cup win drought. It stung, but it didn’t matter much.
The U.S. topped Group D with six points, their best-ever group stage finish, and headed into the Round of 32 with momentum, confidence, and a star striker in Folarin Balogun who looked like he was built for this stage.
Bosnia? Handled. But It Got Messy.
Wednesday night in Santa Clara had everything. The tension of a knockout game, a win and advance, or a lose and go home match in front of a raucous pro American crowd. A goal just before halftime when Balogun, the team’s engine all tournament, buried his third of the World Cup to put the U.S. up 1-0 at halftime. And then, in the 64th minute, everything changed.
A VAR review of a normal play that had contact between 2 players, Balogun and Muharemovic. Brazilian referee Raphael Claus reviewed the play on the on-field monitor, and the result was a questionable Red Card shown to Balogun for dragging his cleats across the back of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic’s leg. The stadium went quiet, then erupted in boo’s.
Ive spoken with a few professional, national referees in the US on this call, and all of them said that the Red Card was excessive, a yellow card was warranted. A yellow card would have kept Balogun on the field for the rest of the match, and he’d be playing on Monday, helping Team USA’s chances.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino was furious. “For me, never is it a red card,” he said afterward. “If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that was normal action in football. Your feet land. No?”
Teammate Weston McKennie was equally blunt, calling the lack of any appeal process “a bit bogus”, and he’s got a point. The same play happened elsewhere in the tournament without a whistle. (In case you’re wondering, it was Lionel Messi, the “Golden Child”). No chance he gets a Red Card for the same, if not more egregious offense, but the rules are the rules, and under FIFA’s regulations, the red card is the red card, the appeal doesn’t exist, and Balogun is out.
What happened next, though, was a testament to what this team is made of. Down to ten men, protecting a 1-0 lead against a desperate Bosnia side, Malik Tillman,blood literally pooling near his toes from a boot split open earlier in the match,stood over a free kick in the 82nd minute and curved it into the net. Game over. USA 2, Bosnia 0.
The locker room afterward? Pure joy. Coach Pochettino and his players again belted out John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads”, their first knockout round win since 2002. “You feel part of something bigger,” Pochettino said. “I enjoy being part of this amazing project.”
Belgium Is Next, But Balogun Won’t Play
Here’s the cold reality of where things stand: The USMNT faces Belgium on Monday, July 6 at Lumen Field in Seattle. It is the Round of 16. Knockout soccer. No second chances. And Folarin Balogun, the player who has been the heartbeat of this American attack all tournament, three goals in four games, leading the team, will be watching from the sidelines in street clothes.
Belgium is no pushover. They survived a wild run through their group and dispatched Senegal in extra time in the Round of 32. They’re experienced, and physical, and they’ll know exactly how to exploit a U.S. attack missing its most dangerous weapon. That said, it’s a challenge I believe the USA Team will meet, conquer, win, and advance.
So, who fills the void? That’s the question Pochettino has been wrestling with since the final whistle in Santa Clara. Christian Pulisic, who returned from a calf injury late in the group stage, will need to step into an even larger role. The aforementioned players must step up, as well as Ricardo Pepi, Josh Sargent, and others. And if Tillman’s determination in the Bosnia game is any indication, somebody on this roster is ready to rise to the occasion. They always seem to find one. This team is built different.
And If They Win? Spain.
Let that sink in for a second. Should the USMNT get past Belgium Monday night, the reward waiting in the quarterfinals is likely Spain, the defending European champions, the best organized team in the tournament, and a side that has looked utterly dominant in in their last two games after a lackluster opener, in which I believe they overlooked their opponent and still salvaged a tie.
It would be the kind of matchup that could be written about for decades. The U.S. on home soil, in the quarterfinals of a World Cup for the first time since 2002, against the gold standard of world football. Lamine Yamal. Pedri. Rodri. Against asomewhat depleted but battle tested American team, playing in front of their own fans.
It sounds like they have to climb a mountain and stick their flag in the ground to claim victory. Maybe they do just that It also sounds exactly like the kind of moment this generation of American soccer was built for, and has been waiting for. US Women’s soccer has risen to the top in the World Cup and in the Olympics. Can the USMNT conjure that similar magic, and replicate what the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” Men’s US Olympic Hockey Team did? It’s something that is hard to have to wait for until Monday night, to beat Belgium and then matchup against Spainand put on a show.
The Bigger Picture
Whatever happens from here, something has already shifted. This team opened this World Cup by beating Paraguay 4-1 in front of a roaring Los Angeles crowd. They won back-to-back knockout games for the first time in their history. They found out who they were when they lost Balogun in the 64th minute against Bosnia, and they answered with true grit that showed they were good enough to win anyway.
The road ahead is hard. Belgium first, then potentially Spain. Without their leading scorer on Monday, they’ll need every bit of grit, creativity, and collective will theyhave shown all tournament.
But if there’s one thing this USMNT has proven, it’s that they don’t need things to be easy. They need / want a crowd behind them, a chip on their shoulder, and about 90 minutes of excellence.
The rest, they’ll figure out. That’s what champions do.
Enjoy this ride, there’s something brewing and its home cooked on home land, the home of the brave.
USA, USA, USA. LET’S GO!!!!!
