SEATTLE — Imagine sitting on a bus headed to training, just minding your own business. Maybe you’re listening to music or playing “Clash Royale” or zoning out, preparing for the biggest game of your career.
Then, all of a sudden, you get bombarded with breaking news alerts on social media and texts from family members asking if it’s true.
That’s what the U.S. men’s national team players experienced Sunday morning when it was confirmed that starting striker Folarin Balogun would be able to play in Monday’s massive 2026 World Cup round of 16 match vs. Belgium.
Balogun, who leads the team with three goals at this World Cup, was shown a controversial red card in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week. This triggered a one-game suspension, meaning the USA would have to play a European giant in Belgium without him.
Then on Monday morning, FIFA overturned the decision, clearing the way for Balogun to play.
(Photo by Elysia Su/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
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Players were happily stunned. Somewhere in the 10-minute drive from their hotel in downtown Seattle to the Husky Soccer Stadium on the University of Washington’s campus, they saw the news on their phones and were then quickly informed by U.S. Soccer that, yes, this was real.
“We weren’t quite sure if it was true or not,” defender Chris Richards told reporters ahead of Sunday’s training session. “I think everyone knows with AI and this and that, there can be a few question marks.”
“My family probably sent me eight tweets, but I wasn’t sure — nobody told us ahead of time that this was happening,” Richards added. “I didn’t respond [to them] because I didn’t know, and then, ultimately, it got confirmed pretty much by the time we stepped off the bus.”
A U.S. Soccer spokesman told reporters at the training field only that “we were engaged in the process with the disciplinary committee.”
(Photo by John Todd/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images).
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Players don’t really care how it happened — they were ready to face Belgium with whatever adjustments and lineup manager Mauricio Pochettino decided to roll out. The thought was that it would be the same 10 regular starters with Ricardo Pepi coming in for Balogun as the closest like-for-like swap despite their different skill sets.
“Yeah, I mean we have confidence in every guy regardless of who’s gonna step out there,” Richards said. “But I think knowing that we have a full roster maybe gives us a little bit of extra confidence.”
Christian Pulisic, whose combination play with Balogun has become an explosive part of the U.S. attack, said the team hasn’t been training that differently over the past few days when they thought they wouldn’t have their top striker.
“Of course, you have other guys filling in and trying to figure out what the lineup could look like,” said the superstar winger, who is still searching for his first goal this tournament. “But we didn’t have anything set. Not some crazy adjustment we have to make [now]. We have a day, we have to train, and yeah, it’ll be great.”
(Photo by Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Balogun, who turned 25 years old on Friday, spoke with reporters a few days ago and handled every question about the red card and his suspension with maturity and class. He shook each referee’s hand after the round of 32 match, explaining later that he wanted to set an example to little kids watching and showing them “the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust.”
American supporters around the country have spent the last several days making their opinions on the matter known with clever memes and the words “Free Balo” on t-shirts and Starbucks coffee cups.
So what was Balogun’s reaction when he found out that he’d be able to play?
“He’s keeping it Mr. Cool right now,” Richards said with a chuckle. “I think he’s pretty excited, but you wouldn’t quite know right now.”
The rest of the team, however, was “lit,” Richards said, smiling. Weston McKennie shouted, “Welcome back!” in a joking way toward Balogun as practice began.
“Obviously, we look to Flo to lead the front line, and he’s done it really well so far throughout the tournament,” Richards said. “We’re really happy and excited that that’s been overturned.”
Added Pulisic: “Just knowing that we’re going to have him around tomorrow, it just helps so much and gives us a big boost.”
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