SEATTLE — At the end of the day — a day before the most significant match in U.S. men’s soccer history — justice was served.
Folarin Balogun, the dynamic U.S. striker who’s scored a goal in each of the three matches he’s played in this World Cup, will play against Belgium in Monday’s massive Round of 16 showdown.
FIFA lifted the highly controversial one-game ban Sunday that would have prevented Balogun from playing against Belgium. He had received a straight red card for accidentally stepping on the right ankle of Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in Wednesday’s Round of 32 match.
With no evidence of intent by Balogun to harm Muharemovic, and the match referee not even issuing a yellow card in real time before VAR intervened to send him off, justice was served.
