Balogun suspended for USA's World Cup last-16 clash with Belgium after red card against Bosnia

Folarin Balogun will sit out the United States’ World Cup round-of-16 clash with Belgium after referee Raphael Claus sent him off during the co-hosts’ group-stage win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara. The automatic one-match ban that follows a straight red card rules him out of the quarter-final qualifier.

The incident arose from a challenge with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic as the pair contested a bouncing ball, with Balogun making dangerous contact with his opponent’s ankle. Though the contact appeared unintentional, a VAR review prompted Claus to consult the pitchside monitor before producing the red card.

The dismissal came at a painful moment for Balogun, who had already opened the scoring for the United States in the same match. In doing so, he became only the fourth player in World Cup history to both score and receive a red card in a knockout tie, joining Garrincha in 1962, Ronaldinho in 2002, and Zinedine Zidane in 2006.

With Balogun suspended, manager Mauricio Pochettino must now decide who leads the line against Belgium. Ricardo Pepi started in the forward role when Balogun was rested for the defeat to Turkey, with Timothy Weah also featuring in that game. The two could compete for a place alongside Christian Pulisic, who was able to play the majority of the last-32 match — a significant boost for Pochettino given the winger’s recent injury concerns.

Haji Wright offers a further option. The striker contributed to Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League during another productive club season and could be called upon at the highest stage.

Belgium arrive in the last 16 having produced one of the tournament’s more dramatic comebacks, overturning a 2-0 deficit against Senegal to advance. Rudi Garcia’s side will provide a stern test as both nations target a place in the quarter-finals.