USMNT's Folarin Balogun gets red card, will miss Belgium game - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Folarin Balogun's star turn at this World Cup went sideways early in the second half Wednesday night, as the American forward was sent off — after a VAR review — for dragging his cleats down the back of Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic's leg and onto his foot.

Despite being down to 10 players, the United States won 2-0, with Malik Tillman's exquisite free kick giving Mauricio Pochettino's side a second goal after Balogun departed.

Pochettino said Balogun was «sad» and «disappointed» in the locker room afterward, while making clear that he believed the striker was wrongly ejected.

«For me, never is it a red card,» Pochettino said. «Never was there intention to step on the player.» He added: «If the intention is to damage the opponent, OK, I understand. But that was a normal action in football that you are, you know, fighting for the ball and your feet land, no?»

FIFA mandates that a player receiving a red card receives a one-game suspension, meaning Balogun will not be able to play in the round-of-16 match against Belgium.

Pochettino initially said he hoped the U.S. would be able to appeal that decision; when informed an appeal was not allowed, he said that he and his assistants would consider all the «different options» before making a decision. A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said after the game it would appeal the suspension if the ban was more than a single game.

«I think in this stage of the tournament where every player is important, I think it's a bit bogus,» U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie said of the team not being able to appeal the red card.

Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are the other forwards on the roster.

Pochettino was also asked about a similar instance from earlier in the