The United States men's national team takes the field Monday night against Belgium in the Round of 16 at Lumen Field in Seattle. The Americans earned the program's first knockout stage victory since 2002, having dispatched Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday night while playing the final 36 minutes with 10 men after Folarin Balogun was red-carded on a maddening call. Longtime Premier League VAR referee Andy Davies called the decision wrong, telling ESPN the contact was purely accidental and an unfortunate result from two players challenging for possession of the ball in a normal football movement. Coach Mauricio Pochettino said flatly it was never a red card and pointed out that Lionel Messi made a nearly identical challenge against Algeria earlier in the tournament and received nothing.
Weston McKennie spoke for the locker room, saying he thinks it's a bit bogus. Balogun, one of their top players, will watch Monday from the bench against a Belgian side that earned a Round of 16 win over the United States in the 2014 World Cup. Belgium has won six consecutive meetings against the U.S. since the inaugural 1930 World Cup, the lone American victory in the head-to-head. The Americans won Wednesday without Balogun for the better part of an hour and will play at a venue where the home crowd will be as loud as any in the tournament.