SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Folarin Balogun's red card would be a whole lot more palatable if the referee hadn't been so inept the rest of the game.
Brazil's Raphael Claus lost control of the game from the opening whistle of the U.S. men's national team's 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. Hell, probably from when he got the assignment. Tyler Adams got bodied as if he'd wandered into a WWE fight, and Balogun was repeatedly pushed around. A Bosnia and Herzegovina player pushed goalkeeper Matt Freese's head into the ground as he ran by.
Folarin Balogun of the U.S. is consoled by Giovanni Reyna and Timothy Weah after receiving a red card during a match in Santa Clara, California, July 1.
Malik Tillman's right foot bled through his sock because he got stomped on right before he scored the insurance goal in the 82nd minute. And that wasn't even the foul that earned the USMNT the free kick.
Through it all, Claus was oblivious. Despite the bruising physicality, there was only one yellow card issued in addition to Balogun's red. That's unacceptable in any World Cup game, much less a win-or-go-home one.
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"So unfortunate. It seems so harsh," said Christian Pulisic, who was quick to console Balogun after the card was issued.
Balogun raking the back of Tarik Muharemovic’s calf and stepping on his ankle was a foul, even if it wasn't malicious. Or intentional. A yellow? Sure. But a red? C'mon.
"That was a normal action in football," USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "That happened by accident and it's never intentional."
What makes the U.S. men's national team losing their most dynamic player — for the final 36 minutes of this game and for the round-of-16 match against Belgium on Monday — so hard to swallow is that Claus let so many other abuses go.
"Obviously the ref made the decision that he made, but I think it's questionable," Weston McKennie said. "I think there's been many other plays like that throughout the tournament on other players that a card wasn't given at all. So it's disappointing."
It's a fast-paced game, no doubt. Making calls in a split-second is hard. But if you're not up to the task, and it's clear Claus wasn't, then you shouldn't be here.
This isn't a case of American homerism. Well, not completely. But referees have let similar plays go in this tournament, and there needs to be consistency.
The larger issue is that Claus never had control of this game. When refs lose control of games, it's dangerous. Players are going to be physical, knowing they can get away with things. That's how people get hurt.
The USMNT and Bosnia and Herzegovina both deserved better.
