​It was a bad call. The red card shown to Folarin Balogun should never have been issued. It looked like a poor decision in real time, and even in slow motion, the moment where he steps on an opponent’s ankle still appears to be a bad call. FIFA World Cup rules specify red cards for serious offenses such as dangerous fouls, violent conduct, spitting, biting, offensive language, or denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. None of that applied to Balogun’s action, which was simply going after the ball in a normal, controlled way and ended with the unfortunate misstep on an opponent, as both U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino and analyst Thierry Henry explained. A yellow card would have sufficed, though Balogun might not have received any card at all if his last name were Messi.
That explains the loud outcry this morning. The United States won to reach the Round of 16 but will advance without their leading scorer, who now has to sit out Monday’s match against Belgium. And to complicate matters, FIFA won’t permit an appeal. So the verdict must be accepted and the focus shifted forward. This is sports: bad calls happen all the time, and sometimes there’s nothing you can do but channel that disappointment into the next game. The bigger story remains that the USMNT is one win away from its first World Cup quarterfinal appearance since 2002, a testament to how well the team has been performing. Winning the next match will be tougher without Balogun, but the group has capable players ready to step up and fill the gap. It shouldn’t become an excuse to withhold maximum effort against Belgium; the team can honor what happened by giving everything.
In other news, Jaylen Brown’s criticisms of Joel Embiid have resurfaced as he joins the 76ers after being traded from the Boston Celtics. While there’s room to question Boston’s decision, there’s intrigue about how Brown will fit in Philadelphia and whether he and Embiid can overcome their earlier differences. Brown’s summer remarks about Embiid’s “flopping” have become a talking point now that they’re teammates. He acknowledged Embiid’s greatness but criticized flopping, a sentiment that the basketball world continues to discuss as they adjust to their new dynamic.
The recap also touches on other sports headlines, including quick hits from NHL free agency and notable roster shifts, with a nod to the evolving Lakers post-LeBron era and a reminder of ongoing storylines in the wider sports landscape.