​U.S. star Folarin Balogun admitted Tuesday that the controversy surrounding his World Cup red card caused “outside noise” that made it “difficult” to focus ahead of his team’s exit from the tournament.The forward was sent off during the United States’ 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina, leaving the U.S. men’s national team without its leading goal scorer for the round of 16 clash against Belgium.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAgainst the backdrop of claims the Monaco striker was unfairly dismissed, FIFA’s disciplinary committee lifted the suspension.But the furor ballooned when it emerged President Donald Trump called FIFA head Gianni Infantino to make the case that Balogun should not have been forced to sit out.Infantino insisted Trump’s intervention did not influence the reversal.In the event, the U.S. lost 4-1 to Belgium, exiting the World Cup with a disappointing performance.Appearing on “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday, Balogun was asked about the controversy.“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 is so unique,” he said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlso in the news: U.S. Crashes Out, Trump Meddling Fallout: 2026 FIFA World Cup Live Updates“But the closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid.”Link – x.comLicense Revoked For Boarding School Where Paris Hilton Says She Was Abused As A TeenBonnie Tyler, Who Topped The Charts With Epic ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart,’ Has Died At 75It Took Just 1 Minute For Conor McGregor’s UFC Return To Go Up In FlamesChess Federation Suspends Former World Champion Who Accused Fellow Player Of CheatingPermit Obtained By AP Shows Schedule For Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Wedding