{"id":3467,"date":"2026-07-02T05:37:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467"},"modified":"2026-07-02T05:37:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T05:37:51","slug":"usmnts-folarin-balogun-handed-controversial-red-card-with-massive-world-cup-repercussions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467","title":{"rendered":"USMNT’s Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 For more than an hour Wednesday night at Levi\u2019s Stadium, Folarin Balogun was putting on the kind of performance that changes how a nation views a striker.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more LeBron James reacts to Folarin Balogun\u2019s celebration in World Cup knockout game<\/a><\/p>\n

Every dangerous American attack seemed to begin or end with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He thought he had opened the scoring early, only to glance over and see the assistant referee\u2019s flag raised for offside. Minutes later, he believed he had earned a penalty after being clipped inside the box, but play continued. None of it rattled him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Balogun simply kept coming.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His breakthrough finally arrived just before halftime when he buried the opening goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina, then celebrated with LeBron James\u2019 iconic \u201cSilencer\u201d gesture. The celebration quickly made its way across social media, where James responded with his approval.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cLFG!!!!!! THE Silencer HAS arrived at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young King! Salute. GO USA!\u201d James posted in a combination of words and emojis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Balogun nearly added another after the break, only to watch a thunderous strike rattle the crossbar. Every touch carried purpose. Every run stretched Bosnia\u2019s back line. On a night when knockout matches demand stars, USA\u2019s striker shined the brightest.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

World Cup Merch shop<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"USMNT<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nUSMNT Icon Red T-Shirt<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tBuilt for match days and everyday wear, this officially licensed USMNT tee brings classic national pride wherever you go.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$29.95\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$25.49\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"Christian<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nChristian Pulisic Navy USMNT T-Shirt<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRep your favorite player in classic navy with this officially licensed tee made for diehard fans and big match energy.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$34.99\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"usa<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nUSA Soccer Front\/Back Crest Pullover Hoodie<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tStay warm while repping the red, white, and blue in this officially licensed USMNT pullover hoodie featuring bold front and back crest graphics.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$54.99\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"world<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nFIFA World Cup \u201926 Host Country Flags T-Shirt<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tCelebrate the global game in style with this FIFA World Cup 26 tee featuring all three host countries\u2019 logos and flags.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$28.00\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$23.80\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"world<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n2026 Panini FIFA World Cup Sticker Box (25 Sticker Packs)<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tRip into the excitement of World Cup season with this 2026 Panini sticker box packed with 25 packs of collectible stickers for fans and traders.\t\t\t\t<\/p>

Read more USA vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina live updates: USMNT wins in thriller to move into Round of 16<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$50.00\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n\n
\"world<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n

\nadidas FIFA World Cup \u201926 Trionda Host Nation League Soccer Ball<\/span>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tBring World Cup vibes to every kickaround with the official adidas FIFA World Cup \u201926 Soccer Ball built with host nation style and game-ready feel.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t$45.00\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\tBuy Now\t\t\t\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Then everything unraveled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the 64th minute, Balogun was shown a straight red card after a video assistant referee review determined he had stepped on Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic during a challenge. Live, the play looked more awkward than malicious, the type of collision that happens dozens of times over the course of a match. Slow motion told a different story, and the referee upgraded the decision to serious foul play.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just like that, the emotional temperature inside Levi\u2019s Stadium flipped.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead of riding the shoulders of their most dangerous attacker, the Americans were forced to survive the final half hour with 10 men while Bosnia threw numbers forward searching for an equalizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The U.S. ultimately escaped with a 2-0 victory, but the cost may not be known until the Round of 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every match of the FIFA World Cup will air on either FOX or FOX Sports 1. If you don\u2019t have cable, you can take advantage of a DIRECTV free trial to stream it all.<\/p>\n

Prefer to check out the action live and in person? Shop World Cup 2026 tickets on SeatGeek and make sure to use promo code NYPOST10<\/strong> for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout if you\u2019re a first-time SeatGeek user.<\/p>\n

Balogun\u2019s suspension means Mauricio Pochettino will be without his leading striker against Belgium in Seattle. Against one of the world\u2019s elite teams, replacing his movement, finishing ability and relentless pressure may prove impossible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Wednesday was the ultimate World Cup roller coaster. Balogun spent 64 breathtaking minutes looking like the player capable of carrying the United States on a memorable run. He spent the final 30 watching helplessly from the tunnel, his tournament suddenly suspended by one split-second decision that could echo far beyond the Round of 32.<\/p>

Read more USMNT overcomes red card, advances to World Cup Round of 16 with impressive win over Bosnia-Herzegovina<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States will play the rest of its Round of 32 match on Tuesday night without one of its best players.\u00a0Folarin Balogun was handed a controversial red card in the 64th minute while battling with Bosnia-Herzegovina for a ball. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","category-world-cup-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nUSMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United States will play the rest of its Round of 32 match on Tuesday night without one of its best players.\u00a0Folarin Balogun was handed a controversial red card in the 64th minute while battling with Bosnia-Herzegovina for a ball.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3c04cbc8aa4bad7fce1a32fe163515f2.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1333\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"headline\":\"USMNT’s Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467\"},\"wordCount\":733,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Soccer\",\"World Cup 2026\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467\",\"name\":\"USMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":799},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?p=3467#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"USMNT’s Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Metro Transit Review\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/metrotransitreview.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"USMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"USMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review","og_description":"The United States will play the rest of its Round of 32 match on Tuesday night without one of its best players.\u00a0Folarin Balogun was handed a controversial red card in the 64th minute while battling with Bosnia-Herzegovina for a ball.","og_url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467","og_site_name":"Metro Transit Review","article_published_time":"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1333,"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3c04cbc8aa4bad7fce1a32fe163515f2.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"headline":"USMNT’s Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions","datePublished":"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467"},"wordCount":733,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp","articleSection":["Soccer","World Cup 2026"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467","name":"USMNT's Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions - Metro Transit Review","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-02T05:37:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/595aeb50e560269bd28d5de112f31e79.webp","width":1200,"height":799},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=3467#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"USMNT’s Folarin Balogun handed controversial red card with massive World Cup repercussions"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/","name":"Metro Transit Review","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/#\/schema\/person\/7cd7bd9683106710eed62ba5da559b14","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/metrotransitreview.com"],"url":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}