Team USA's Folarin Balogun Returns to Instagram After Controversial Red Card

Team USA's Folarin Balogun returned to social media hours after a controversial red card sent him off in the team's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1.

"Purple hearts!" Balogun, 24, wrote via his Instagram Story over a photo of him celebrating on the pitch. "The war continues 💜💜💜💜💜💜."

The red card also means that he will be ineligible to play in the United States' next match against Belgium in the Round of 16.

The controversial call came in the 61st minute with the U.S. leading 1-0. Balogun collided with the back of the leg of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic and the two landed awkwardly, though it did not appear to be intentional.

Nevertheless, after a lengthy review, officials deemed it a "serious foul" and worthy of a red card, ending Balogun's game and forcing Team USA to play the remainder of the match down a man.

FIFA rules define a serious foul in this situation as, "Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play."

Team USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the match that the play in question is "never a red card."

"Never an intention to step on the player," he told reporters. "It was a normal action in football that happened by accident."

"He's very disappointed," Pochettino, 54, added of Balogun. "It was an action that wasn't intention, he's sad. … We cannot do anything to change this feeling. This is soccer, this is football. For sure he's going to help us to perform and hopefully we can go to the next round so he can be available again."

Despite the controversy, Pochettino praised how his team responded, fighting back every advance from Bosnia and Herzegovina and finding some breathing room with a Malik Tillman goal in the 82nd minute.

"Today, you know 50/50 decisions? Not one goes for us," Pochettino said. "The players reacted very well, we controlled the emotional part of the game."

Team USA star Christian Pulisic also credited his teammates for the poise they showed down the stretch.

"We had to dig deep for that one," he said in a postgame interview with Fox. "I felt we put on such a good performance and didn't deserve the red card."

The United States and Belgium will square off in the Round of 16 on Monday, July 16 in Seattle, Washington.

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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 8:09 AM.