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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Pablo Iglesias Maurer at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

A goal, a red and a LeBron James shout: Folarin Balogun gets the spotlight in US’s wild World Cup win

Two USA players in red and white striped jerseys stand on a pitch looking toward a referee in green
Folarin Balogun will miss out on the USMNT’s next game against Belgium. Photograph: Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images

The day after the US supreme court upheld birthright citizenship, Folarin Balogun – a player who wouldn’t have even been on the pitch if not for the longstanding, constitutional law – pushed the United States through to the World Cup last 16. Just two days short of his 25th birthday, Balogun scored the opening goal in the US’s 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, his third of the tournament.

Then, about 20 minutes later, Balogun was sent off, given a straight red card for what appeared to be inadvertent contact with Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemović. It was a shocking turn of events for the Monaco forward, who was among the US’s best performers on Wednesday, as he has been for the entirety of the tournament.

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