Mauricio Pochettino will be happy with what he saw from the United States national team as they overcame Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance to the Round of 16 in the World Cup. However the game changed when Folarin Balogun received a red card after VAR intervention for a challenge deemed serious foul play.
In the 64th minute, Balogun was shown a straight red card by the Brazilian referee Raphael Claus after he ruled that the forward's challenge amounted to serious foul play, following his trailing foot catching the calf of Tarik Muharemović. The decision came despite the absence of any appeals from the Bosnia and Herzegovina players, with the incident appearing far more severe in slow-motion replays than at full speed.
Mauricio Pochettino thinks Folarin Balogun was hard-done-by to see red
After the 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, the USMNT manager described the red card as the wrong decision, insisting Balogun is not the type of player to make reckless tackles or intentionally endanger an opponent.
"“Balogun? Never intentional, never a red card. Watching it after on TV, it was never the intention to step onto the player; it's a normal action in football that happens by accident”."Mauricio Pochettino
Many of his USMNT teammates agree with their manager’s views on the card with Weston McKennie deeming the decision as “questionable” while Tyler Adams claimed it only warranted a yellow card at the most for their in-form striker.
The decision also sparked questions over officiating consistency. In Argentina's opening group-stage match against Algeria, Lionel Messi appeared to catch an opponent on the calf with his studs in a similar incident, yet escaped both punishment on the pitch and a VAR review. The contrast has led many to question why the referee’s and VAR's consistency in the tournament which resulted in a straight red card for Balogun while Messi's went unpunished.
There is little the USMNT or Mauricio Pochettino can do beyond voicing their frustration. Under FIFA regulations, teams can only appeal a red card if the disciplinary committee imposes a suspension of more than one match. With no formal appeal process for a standard one-game ban, Balogun appears set to miss the next fixture, despite widespread belief that the dismissal could have been overturned on review.
As a result of that red card, the striker will miss the Round of 16 clash with Belgium, however will be back available come the quarter finals should they advance. The United States will welcome him back but will be hoping they don't miss too much in the process.
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