USMNT Folarin Balogun has suspension revoked, can play vs Belgium

Folarin Balogun will play for the United States Men’s National Team when it faces Belgium in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.

The U.S.’s top goal scorer in this tournament was shown a red card in the Round of 32 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which carries an automatic one-game suspension that is not subject to appeal.

However, FIFA ruled on Sunday that his red card, which came after a video review of a tackle on Tarik Muharemovic, was suspended. FIFA decided that the tackle should not have been flagged by video review, which led to the replay.

Per FIFA rules, “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”

FIFA then released a statement Sunday saying, “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one [1] year.”

A statement by U.S. Soccer said: “We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow.

“Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”
start vs. Belgium?

Balogan’s availability likely means El Paso’s Ricardo Pepi will begin the match against Belgium on the bench. He was likely going to start before Balogun’s reinstatement.

He was a second-half substitute in the first match of the tournament against Paraguay and the Round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina when the U.S. had full player availability. He started in group games against Australia and Turkiye while Christian Pulisic was out with an injury.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.