U.S. men's national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino said a red card given to striker Folarin Balogun was unwarranted during Wednesday's match.
The dispute centers on a critical disciplinary decision that will force the U.S. to play without one of its primary offensive threats in the next round of the tournament.
The U.S. defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 [4] in a group match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Despite the victory, the match was marred by a controversial VAR referral that resulted in Balogun being sent off [1]. The red card followed a foul committed against Bosnia's Tarik Muharemović [5].
Pochettino expressed disagreement with the officiating after the match. "Never a red card," Pochettino said [1]. He said that Balogun was sent-off after a VAR referral and that the decision was wrong [1].
The coach noted that while the team is happy with the result, the loss of the striker creates a tactical void. "We are delighted with the win but we will have to cope without Balogun for the next match," Pochettino said [2].
Due to the red card [1], Balogun will serve a one-match suspension [3]. This means he will be unavailable for the upcoming game against Belgium [3]. Pochettino said the decision was incorrect and would unfairly disadvantage the team [5, 6].
“"Never a red card"”
The loss of Folarin Balogun for the match against Belgium removes a key scoring option for the U.S. at a pivotal moment in the group stage. Pochettino's public criticism of the VAR decision highlights ongoing tensions between national teams and the consistency of refereeing technology in high-stakes international tournaments.
