SEATTLE — After all that, Folarin Balogun’s impact on the U.S. men’s national team’s Round of 16 loss to Belgium amounted to a whimper.
The man at the center of a global news cycle over the last 36 hours was, like the rest of his teammates, left to answer for a brutal 4-1 defeat to Belgium with a hushed voice full of regret.
The global outrage that followed the suspension of his red card suspension will rescind into the same nebulous space as Balogun’s one-match ban itself: still technically there, but largely irrelevant.
“I accepted the decision when I was given the red card. Then I also accepted the decision when I could play,” Balogun said of the 36-hour saga that engulfed the World Cup. “There’s not much else I can really say on the matter. I think with all that being said, Belgium were the better team today.”
Balogun later added that he had no involvement in the process behind the scenes, though he avoided saying he was ignorant of it entirely.
Though he made his usual promising runs in behind, the service simply wasn’t there to create the chances Balogun has been at the center of throughout the World Cup. Aside from an 83rd-minute shot parried away by Thibaut Courtois, you wouldn’t have noticed Balogun for much of the evening, if not for all that had happened Sunday.
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After the match ended, he made a point to go over to Belgium manager Rudi Garcia, who had compared the decision to April Fools’ Day on Sunday.
“To be honest, I just congratulated Belgium,” Balogun said. “This is a game. There’s winners and losers. Similar to when I was given the red card, you have to handle it the right way.”
Garcia, at his press conference, said he told Balogun that the situation was “not his fault.”
“He said he hopes this situation won’t overshadow the fantastic World Cup I’ve had,” Balogun said. “He just wanted to encourage me to be positive. To be proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish this tournament.”
With time, Balogun will be able to do that. On Monday night, he seemed to still be coming to grips with the moment.
“The feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words,” Balogun said. “I think for me, personally, also, the situation I’ve been involved in is also gonna present challenges. So it’s just important for me to be able to gather my thoughts and then at the right time, I’m sure I’ll be able to speak on the topic.”
Christian Pulisic said he twisted his ankle and knee before coming off in the 59th minute.
Cristian Roldan (quad strain) was the only U.S. player listed as unavailable due to injury.
