For a while, it seemed the only story in the lead-up to the US men's national team last-16 matchup against Belgium was the presence of Folarin Balogun. In the end, Balogun's presence didn't really matter at all. Not on the field, at least.
The forward was serviceable in the USMNT's 4-1 loss and even earned the foul that led to the Americans' lone goal, a deflected free-kick off the foot of midfielder Malik Tillman. He was far from the dynamo he'd been in the US's other World Cup matches. But Balogun alone would never have saved a US team who were comprehensively dismantled by a technical Belgian side.
The fact that Balogun did not appear on the scoresheet was probably good news to a certain subset of fans and pundits – and certainly to Belgium's coaches and players, all of whom have claimed that the Monaco forward shouldn't have been involved in the match in the first place. Balogun was slated to serve a red-card suspension in Monday's match but ended up in Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI instead after the US Soccer Federation – along with Donald Trump's administration – pushed for and received a stay in that punishment.
Related: Ragged USA crash out of World Cup with last-16 defeat to Belgium
That perceived politicking turned what should've been a celebratory affair, a chance for the US to declare themselves 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 US had bigger problems Monday, but one wonders how much the intensity of the discourse surrounding Balogun contributed to the US's dreadful performance.
The forward was serviceable in the USMNT's 4-1 loss and even earned the foul that led to the Americans' lone goal, a deflected free-kick off the foot of midfielder Malik Tillman. He was far from the dynamo he'd been in the US's other World Cup matches. But Balogun alone would never have saved a US team who were comprehensively dismantled by a technical Belgian side.
The fact that Balogun did not appear on the scoresheet was probably good news to a certain subset of fans and pundits – and certainly to Belgium's coaches and players, all of whom have claimed that the Monaco forward shouldn't have been involved in the match in the first place. Balogun was slated to serve a red-card suspension in Monday's match but ended up in Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI instead after the US Soccer Federation – along with Donald Trump's administration – pushed for and received a stay in that punishment.
Related: Ragged USA crash out of World Cup with last-16 defeat to Belgium
That perceived politicking turned what should've been a celebratory affair, a chance for the US to declare themselves 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 US had bigger problems Monday, but one wonders how much the intensity of the discourse surrounding Balogun contributed to the US's dreadful performance.
4 months ago
