Mauricio Pochettino did not sound like a manager trying to move on quickly. After Folarin Balogun's sending-off, he said: “It's never a red card, there was never [any] intention to step on the player.” Tim Ream took the same line. Chris Richards went one step further and called the squad a team of 26, not just one striker. The problem for the United States is simple enough: they now face Belgium on July 7 in Seattle without their top scorer.

The case against the red card

Balogun had already scored his third goal of the tournament before the dismissal. Then he was sent off in the 64th minute against Bosnia & Herzegovina, leaving the United States with ten men. That is the part Pochettino, Ream and Richards are reacting to, because the foul was being read by them as accidental rather than malicious.

Pochettino told talkSPORT: “That was a normal action in football. That happened by accident and it's never intentional. That is why for me it was never a red card.” Ream, speaking to talkSPORT, said Balogun had been bumped and that he was not looking to step on anyone. Ben Jacobs, also on talkSPORT, called it a “very harsh red card” and said FIFA regulations say there is no appeal process.

The wider frustration is obvious. Balogun was one of only two players on the pitch to receive a rating above 7/10 in talkSPORT's ratings, finishing on 9/10, and his tournament total now stands at three goals. For the US, losing that output before a knockout tie against Belgium is a real problem.

Richards backs the squad to cope

Richards was blunt about the next step. “We've known we're a team of 26, not just one,” he said, adding that if it is Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright, whoever comes in should do the job just as well. That is the useful line here, because it shifts the discussion away from anger and toward selection.

Pochettino's mood after the win did not sound like one of caution either. The US coach has three wins in four World Cup matches, moving ahead of Bruce Arena's two, and he has been pushing an upbeat message around the group. He has described himself as “200 percent Argentine” and asked, “Everything is possible, why not us?”

That confidence will be tested on July 7. Balogun is out, Belgium are next, and the US have to show whether Richards is right about the depth around him.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →