By Rory Carroll
July 1 (Reuters) – Folarin Balogun’s evening began with a goal and a celebration fit for LeBron James. It ended with the United States striker walking off after a red card that will keep him out of what would have been the biggest match of his international career.
Balogun scored his third goal of the World Cup to give the U.S. a first-half lead in their 2-0 round-of-32 win over Bosnia on Wednesday, continuing his breakout tournament on home soil.
The forward marked the goal by mimicking James’ famous “Silencer” celebration, lifting his knees and pounding his chest before repeatedly pushing both arms downward in front of a raucous Santa Clara crowd.
James noticed.
“Helluva goal there Young King!” the NBA great wrote on social media during the match, giving Balogun’s moment an extra jolt of star power.
But Balogun’s night took a sharp turn after the break when he was shown a red card for planting his boot into the ankle of Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic, leaving the U.S. to navigate the remainder of the knockout tie a man down.
The contact by Balogun appeared inadvertent and he was not shown a red or even a yellow initially, but was sent off after a Video Assistant Referee review.
For a few anxious moments, the red card threatened to overwhelm everything Balogun had done well.
It also stirred uncomfortable memories for U.S. fans of Tim Weah’s sending-off against Panama at the 2024 Copa America, when the Americans unraveled and crashed out in the group stage on home soil.
This time, Balogun’s teammates made sure the story did not end the same way.
Rather than fold, Mauricio Pochettino’s side stayed compact and composed, defending with discipline while still posing a threat going forward. Malik Tillman eventually doubled the lead with a free kick, allowing the U.S. to close out victory despite Balogun’s dismissal.
“We had to dig deep for that one,” Christian Pulisic said.
“Obviously, I felt we put on such a good performance and didn’t deserve the red card. I mean, I didn’t see it, but it’s unfortunate. But for us to dig in deep, get another goal and defend the way we did, it took a real team effort, but we’re proud of that.”
For Balogun, the night was a contradiction: another good finish that reinforced his value as the U.S. attack’s focal point, followed by a costly lapse that will leave him watching from the stands when the Americans face Belgium in the last 16.
The U.S. survived without him on Wednesday. In Seattle on Monday, they will have to prove they can do it again from the start.
(Reporting by Rory CarrollEditing by Toby Davis)
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