Belgium took the wind out of the United States men's national team's sails this summer during the 2026 World Cup. Before that humbling 4-1 defeat in the Round of 16, a controversial decision from FIFA effectively made the USMNT an enemy, at least according to Belgium defender Thomas Meunier.
The 35-year-old Meunier, who has 83 caps for Belgium and just represented the country in his third World Cup, explained to The Athletic that, because of head-turning call to suspend Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension, "everyone wanted us to beat America."
"Everyone wanted them to be eliminated," he added more than two months after the July 6 match, per The Athletic.
Balogun himself has admitted that, even though he was relieved to be on the pitch for the knockout match, hearing that he'd be part of the squad was bittersweet.
"My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it's something that's so unique," Balogun told "CBS Mornings" in July.
#meunier #july #balogun
The 35-year-old Meunier, who has 83 caps for Belgium and just represented the country in his third World Cup, explained to The Athletic that, because of head-turning call to suspend Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension, "everyone wanted us to beat America."
"Everyone wanted them to be eliminated," he added more than two months after the July 6 match, per The Athletic.
Balogun himself has admitted that, even though he was relieved to be on the pitch for the knockout match, hearing that he'd be part of the squad was bittersweet.
"My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it's something that's so unique," Balogun told "CBS Mornings" in July.
#meunier #july #balogun
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