A disastrous ending to the American dream - the Balogun saga had

The match began with all the pomp and circumstance that we usually see at World Cup games in the United States - a vibrant and patriotic crowd, fireworks, smoke and even a passing of military planes. But the American dream of winning the tournament for the first time collapsed disastrously in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Belgium. It was the USA's biggest defeat since 1990, and the lively atmosphere that had characterized the previous games quickly dissipated, with Belgium's fourth goal causing many fans to leave Seattle Stadium before the final whistle. The elimination in the round of 16 came after hectic days, full of controversies, especially surrounding FIFA's decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's red card, which allowed him to play in this match. The team's trajectory to this point had captured the country's attention, but all this positivity was affected by the Balogun saga, something that the Belgians did not let go unnoticed before the game. "It's great to have the world on our side against the United States," said full-back Timothy Castagne before the match. Balogun, who was not surprised by the controversy surrounding his situation, commented: "I accepted the decision when I got the red card and I also accepted it when I was told I could play. There's not much more I can say about it." But to what extent did it impact the US team, and where did things really go wrong for coach Mauricio Pochettino's team? Belgian coach Rudi Garcia met with Balogun after the match. Despite the score, there was something different about the US performance. Under Pochettino, the team had shaken off the underdog mentality and played with arrogant confidence in previous games, attacking opponents impressively and making fans believe in a possible tournament upset. One fan even predicted before the match: "We are going to win the World Cup!", showing that the confidence was palpable among the supporters gathered outside the stadium hours before kick-off. Many fans were excited that Balogun, their in-form top scorer, had been cleared to play, even after receiving a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round. FIFA took the surprise decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, sparking widespread criticism, including from UEFA and Belgium coach Thomas Tuchel. The issue even reached the highest levels of US politics, with President Donald Trump stating that he had asked FIFA to review the decision as he did not believe the foul had occurred. Balogun, who had scored three goals in the World Cup, started against Belgium but failed to make a difference. After the game, when asked if the attention he received in the build-up to the clash had affected him, Pochettino said: "It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse. It wasn't our day. But personally, what's the point of receiving insults or bad messages? It's a rule that the federation must apply and try to [overturn the suspension]. My position was to coach the team. If Balogun is available because FIFA allows it, it's not a problem. I'm disappointed in a lot of people. They putpolitics and manipulation, talking about ethics and integrity first. If we talk about the story of this game, I'm personally disappointed."  Belgium coach Rudi Garcia revealed that Balogun approached him shortly after the match. "It's not his fault, he's not responsible and that's what I told him," he said. However, the attack was not the main problem for the USA against Belgium, as the defense failed in many moments, which resulted in the heavy defeat. Charles De Ketelaere, for example, was left alone in the box to open the scoring, and soon after, he was the one who headed in the second goal, even after the USA had equalized. The third goal was even more calamitous, when De Ketelaere disarmed the hesitant American goalkeeper Matt Freese, who had left the box to try to resolve the play, and Hans Vanaken fired the ball into the back of the net from outside the box. That gave Belgium a 3-1 lead and demotivated the American fans, who began to leave the stadium in the final 10 minutes before Lukaku's injury-time goal saw many others follow suit. "There was no willingness to go after the ball," said a disappointed American fan after the game. "There was nothing. There was no motivation, football wasn't alive today." Another added: "USA made unforced errors throughout the game. They didn't play their best game, but Belgium played the way they needed to win. Silencing the public like they did put them in a great position to win.” Pochettino accepted that his team simply weren't good enough from the first whistle. "Everyone saw from the beginning that we couldn't connect with the game. We were never in the match, even when we scored the goal [to equalize], soon after we conceded another goal. It was really difficult from the beginning." After a somewhat lukewarm preparation for the World Cup, there is no doubt that the Americans were fully engaged once the tournament began. Fan zones and bars across the country were often packed, and national team shirts could be seen everywhere. Their run to the knockout stages and attacking style of football helped fuel that interest, and now the question remains what will happen next as they have followed the path of other co-hosts such as Canada and Mexico by being knocked out in the round of 16. "That can't be a direct reflection of what we were trying to accomplish," midfielder Tyler Adams said. "You have good days and bad days, and this was a bad day. We haven't gotten as far as we would like. But if we inspire some kids on this journey, then we've done something right." Some of the fans who spoke to BBC Sport immediately after the defeat also felt that once the dust settles on their team's performance, the last few weeks will be seen as a positive, although there is still a long way to go before they are truly considered an established football country. "It was an incredible event for us to put on and we are very excited about the future of football in the country," said one fan. Another added: “In the long term, we have a lot of catching up to do. There's a culture built around football, and we're not there yet." Another uncertainty is Pochettino's future. Former Tottenham manager's contractis set to expire at the end of the World Cup, and after the match he gave no further clues as to what his future holds. "Now it's time to rest a little, think, have conversations and see what the federation's and our decision is," he said. "I'm very happy that we have built a very good relationship, but now is not the time. In the next few weeks we can start talking, if the federation wants to talk.", The defeat was a heavy blow for the USA, but the experience gained could be an important step towards the growth of football in the country. --- ## Related Articles 1. [Donald Trump: Việc đình chỉ Folarin Balogun sẽ để lại 'vết nhơ lớn'](https://banthangvn.com/vi/news/donald-trump-viec-inh-chi-folarin-balogun-se-e-lai-vet-nho-lon-cho-world-cup) 2. [Sipa ni Balogun, Babalik na Kontra Belgium: Pulisic Masaya sa](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/sipa-ni-balogun-babalik-na-kontra-belgium-pulisic-masaya-sa-desisyon-ng-fifa-rud)

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