Folarin Balogun admits that red-card reversal affected USA World Cup teammates: 'A lot of outside noise'

White House World Cup task force executive director Andrew Giuliani discusses controversy around FIFA's decision to lift U.S. soccer star Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension on ‘The Story.’

The United States Men's National Team had all the momentum when Folarin Balogun's red card from the Round of 32 was suspended, giving him a chance to play in the Round of 16 — at least, that's what American soccer fans thought.

The day before the USMNT's Round of 16 game against Belgium, which Balogun was originally supposed to miss because of a red card in the previous game, FIFA ruled that he would be eligible.

The ruling added to what was already a huge controversy, as it was argued Balogun should not have been red-carded in the first place. Nonetheless, Balogun was active despite an appeal and strong reaction from Belgium.

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Folarin Balogun kicks the ball against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 World Cup match at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (David Gonzales)

However, it was hardly a needle-mover, as Belgium embarrassed the Stars and Stripes with a 4-1 win. If anything, the needle might have moved the wrong way, Balogun himself said.

"My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it is something that is so unique," Balogun told CBS on Tuesday.

"The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise and that’s hard to avoid."

Balogun said the entire situation was "confusing," as the team was initially practicing without him.