‘It had no impact’: USMNT insists Balogun political circus didn’t affect World Cup exit | USA

For a while, it seemed like the only story heading into the United States men’s national team’s Round of 16 matchup against Belgium was the presence of Folarin Balogun. In the end, Balogun’s presence didn’t really matter. Not on the ground, at least.

The forward was helpful in the USMNT’s 4-1 loss and even committed the foul that led to the Americans’ only goal, a deflected free kick off the foot of midfielder Malik Tillman. He was far from the dynamo he had been in the United States’ other World Cup matches. But Balogun alone would never have saved an American team completely dismantled by a technical Belgian team.

The fact that Balogun did not appear on the scoresheet was probably good news for a certain subset of supporters and pundits – and certainly for the Belgian coaches and players, who all claimed that the Monaco striker should not have been involved in the match in the first place. Balogun was due to serve a red card in Monday’s match, but found himself in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI after the US Soccer Federation – as well as Donald Trump’s administration – requested and received a reprieve from that sanction.

This perceived politicking turned what should have been a celebratory affair, a chance for the United States to declare itself among the world’s best teams at a home World Cup, into a circus, one that put America as a whole under the microscope. The United States had bigger problems on Monday, but it’s questionable how much the intensity of the rhetoric around Balogun contributed to the United States’ abysmal performance.

During his post-match press conference, Mauricio Pochettino insisted that this situation had nothing to do with the United States’ defeat. He also expressed disappointment at those who had suggested that the federation had overstepped its efforts to keep Balogun on the field.

“I’m so frustrated and disappointed in the people who are supposed to understand the situation,” the coach said. “What is the point of insulting or receiving a lot of bad messages and threats if my position is that I am the head coach? It is a rule according to which it is possible to apply and try, that the players can be available. My position was to coach the team. If you have Balogun available because the Fifa disciplinary committee allowed you to have the player, it is not a problem. I am so disappointed with too many people. They mix things up, they put the politics and manipulation and talk about ethics and integrity.”

We feel compassion for Balogun, who found himself thrust into a situation with which he had little to do. He quickly accepted the suspension – while saying he disagreed with it – and spoke about it calmly and graciously when asked. On Monday, the attacker delivered his first remarks since his reinstatement.

“I accepted the decision when I was given the red card and then I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play,” Balogun said. “I can’t really say much else about it. I think having said that, Belgium was a better team today. They played a lot better than us, I think. Today we didn’t have a good game. For me personally, like I said, I accepted the decision.”

Integrated Folarin Balogun Player Profile

Balogun received a red card for inadvertently stomping on an opponent’s foot during the United States’ round of 16 match against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Members of the Trump administration almost immediately began the process of getting the suspension overturned, according to multiple reports, with Trump himself being informed of the red card shortly after the match ended.

The White House reportedly made its lawyers available to the American Football Federation, which then began its own efforts with the sport’s governing body. Trump called FIFA President Gianni Infantino several times. “It was I who asked them to [review the suspension]”, Trump told reporters on Monday. FIFA ultimately rescinded Balogun’s suspension, citing Article 27 of its statutes.

The news of his reinstatement for the Belgium game came as a shock, in the United States and around the world. Fifa has a hard-earned reputation for going above and beyond in these situations, but even by warped standards, very few people expected this news. Undoubtedly, most American fans were delighted. Pochettino too.

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia was not. He was furious Monday over Balogun’s inclusion, but insisted Tuesday he had not used the perceived offense as a scoreboard item. The only inspiration Belgium needed, he said, came from its 5-2 loss to the United States in a friendly last March. “With him on the field,” Garcia said Monday.

“[Balogun] came to talk to me [after the last-16 match]”Garcia said through an interpreter. “I told him – it’s not his fault, he’s not the one to blame. I really appreciate the intention… I appreciate this player.

American striker Folarin Balogun spoke with Belgian coach Rudi Garcia after the match. Photograph: Agustín Marcarian/Reuters

“I didn’t think it gave us much more motivation,” added Belgian striker Charles De Ketelaere, who made the difference on Monday. “Because a game like this already has the motivation, [which comes] from the inside. We talked about it as a team [for] five minutes, it wasn’t more than that, because we beat them in March, also in a friendly with him [involved]. He’s certainly a very good player, and he makes their team better, but I don’t think we were afraid of him as an individual.

Some Belgian players – and the team’s social media – were more willing to present the controversy as fuel.

“I think there’s always been justice somewhere in life and the fact that something can happen like that, you can say it all you want, but we don’t think it’s fair,” midfielder Nicolas Raskin told reporters. “And today I think it just brings us a little bit of luck. We had to win the game and carry the message all the way through.”

Several American players also contributed after their defeat. If Pochettino was aware as the federation worked to make Balogun available, the players were not, having only learned the news on Sunday afternoon, before their training session.

“No, it had no impact,” said U.S. captain Tim Ream. “We’ve done a good job with this group of allowing outside noise to be outside noise, you know. It has nothing to do with us as players, and [with] prepare for the games. It is one of the things that characterizes the world in which we live. We were completely focused on us as a group and as a team, completely focused on the game, and didn’t really worry about what was being said or debated in the outside world.

For Ream and others, Monday will likely be the last time they are asked about this issue. Balogun, however, will likely remain attached to it much longer, perhaps to a fault. After a bitter and heartbreaking loss, he seemed to realize it.

“The feeling of disappointment is very difficult to express in words,” Balogun said. “Personally, the situation that I’ve been involved in is also going to present different challenges. So it’s just important, for me, to be able to put my thoughts together and then, at the right time, I’m sure I can express myself on the subject.”

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