: [POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION July 11, 2026: An earlier version of this story's headline incorrectly said the U.S. was playing Belgium in the World Cup quarterfinals. It was, in fact, the round of 16.]
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The U.S. men's soccer team's World Cup match against Belgium is tomorrow. But they've already scored a major victory today. Striker Folarin Balogun was supposed to sit it out thanks to the red card he was handed in the last match. But The New York Times is reporting that FIFA has reversed its decision and will allow the star to play. Joining me to talk about this is NPR's Becky Sullivan. Welcome.
BECKY SULLIVAN, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
RASCOE: So when did this change happen?
SULLIVAN: Yeah. This actually is - this is hot off the presses, Ayesha. This happened about an hour ago that these reports came out, and FIFA and U.S. soccer have both confirmed it and announced it officially. And so this is real. And this follows, of course, as you were saying, the red card that was handed to Folarin Balogun last week in the game against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Round of 32. So this suspension in the Round of 16 was going to be a really big deal for Balogun to sit out. He's the team's leading scorer. It would have been a big thing to miss for this team, and now this good news has come. The players just found out on the bus on the way here to this media availability I'm standing at, so it's all very fresh still.
RASCOE: Why did FIFA change its mind?
SULLIVAN: It's hard to know exactly, but I can lay out some of the factors that may have played in. So one is that this red card was granted only after a video review of - like, a replay video review - of the play in question in which these two guys had gotten tangled up and Balogun had stepped on the Bosnian defender's ankle. But the replay review entailed using slow-motion video and still photos. And under FIFA's own regulations, it's not supposed to - video replay isn't supposed to be used in slow motion and with stills in that kind of circumstance. So that may have factored in.
Balogun himself also handled the situation very well. He came out the other day at a U.S. men's national team practice, and he spoke very respectfully about accepting the decision of the referee. He shook the referee's hand after the game. That may have had something to do with it. In fact, I'm happy to play a little bit of view (ph) so that you can hear the kind of thing he had to say. This is what he said on Friday.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLARIN BALOGUN: For me, you know, I think it was just important to stay calm. You know, I didn't want to - you know, I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. You know, there's still lots of people we're inspiring, you know, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, you know, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it's unjust.
SULLIVAN: And then, of course, I think U.S. soccer, I'm sure, was working behind the scenes. There was no way to appeal the red card, but this suspension of a suspension isn't unprecedented. It's certainly unusual, but it's not unprecedented. In fact, the Portuguese star, Cristiano Ronaldo, had gotten a red card and a three-game suspension for that conduct in a World Cup qualifying game. And so he was set to miss the first two games of this World Cup, but FIFA suspended that suspension. And so there was precedent here in this situation for Balogun himself, too.
RASCOE: So how does this change things for tomorrow's match with Belgium?
SULLIVAN: I mean, obviously, this is a huge boost for the U.S. I mean, the players here talking to the media right now is all smiles. They're all, like, laughing. The mood is very much lifted. So clearly, that's a communication of just what good news this is to this team. I mean, Balogun is, like I said, the team's leading scorer. He has three goals already at this World Cup. He's a step above the guys who are coming off the bench, who are also good players, but Balogun is something pretty special up at the top of the formation for the U.S. there. And so to have their leading scorer back in this must-win game, the biggest challenge of the World Cup so far, obviously, that's great news.
Belgium is a tough team. They're the toughest team the U.S. has faced at this World Cup. The Round of 16 game is a huge deal. It might be a coin toss, but the winner will get to move on to the quarterfinal in Los Angeles, and that would be tied for the furthest the U.S. has gone in the modern era of the World Cup.
RASCOE: Well, that will all be very exciting. That's NPR's Becky Sullivan. Thank you so much.
SULLIVAN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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