Folarin Balogun issues apology after USA’s World Cup exit
· Yahoo Sports
Folarin Balogun dominated headlines following his red card in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 matchup against Bosnia and Herzogovina. FIFA decided to suspend it and allowed the Team USA soccer star to play against Belgium on Monday.
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However, his availability wasn’t enough to lead the U.S. to victory, losing 4-1. Balogun issued an apology to fans via his X account. He stressed that he let them down and has to wait four years to bounce back.
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“My debut World Cup… it hurts to wait 4 years to compete at the highest level our sport has to offer,” Balogun wrote. “I want to say sorry to our fans it was not good enough when it mattered most and we let you down.
“Soccer in America will only become bigger the belief, the talent, and the passion is continually growing and I know the best days are in front of us, the future belongs to those who never stop believing, this moment will fuel us. We will be back. Why not us? For the nation. For the flag.”
Balogun had some chances to score against the Belgians, but the defense stood its ground and remained disciplined. The 25-year-old will return to AS Monaco after the tournament to continue his professional career.
July 1, 2026; Santa Clara, California, U.S.; Folarin Balogun of the U.S. celebrates scoring their first goal. Mandatory Credit: Phil Noble-Reuters via Imagn ImagesFolarin Balogun’s World Cup performance
The 5-foot-10 forward play a key role for the Americans. He recorded three goals and was a consistent threat to score each game. Balugon made history as the first American with multiple goals in a single World Cup game since 1930. He scored two versus Paraguay in the group stage.
He added another goal against Australia, driving down the flank to force an own goal that secured a 2-0 win. Balogun completed 32 of 39 attempted passes for an 82% passing accuracy across four appearances.