Pochettino Regrets USMNT Appeal Over Balogun World Cup Red Card

Mauricio Pochettino has said he should have taken a more active role in the United States’ decision to challenge Folarin Balogun’s World Cup dismissal, admitting the controversy that followed changed the mood around his squad before their last-16 defeat to Belgium.

Balogun was shown a red card in the round of 32 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina, initially leaving him set to miss the next match. FIFA subsequently put the one-game suspension on hold, clearing the forward to face Belgium, but the ruling became a major issue around the tournament after President Donald Trump said he had intervened personally. Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, was then accused of compromising the organisation’s political neutrality.

For Pochettino, the eventual outcome of the appeal was less significant than the circumstances surrounding it. The Argentine said he had not participated in the decision to lodge the claim after the Bosnia match and believes he underestimated the effect the episode would have on the group.

“I may be sorry that I was not involved after the Bosnia game, when the situation developed and all the negativity came from it,” Pochettino said in an interview with Andres Cantor on Futbol de Primera.

“I regret not being more involved in the decision-making. I was not part of the choice to make a claim to have the red card suspended. Beyond being judged to have been right, I do not think anybody truly understood what was happening.

“As a football person, I have the emotional intelligence to know this can alter the energy around a situation. The energy shifted as soon as it happened, and the match was then played in very different conditions.”

Belgium loss followed a strong start

The United States had made an encouraging beginning to the competition under Pochettino, moving comfortably through the group stage before overcoming Bosnia-Herzegovina. The aim had been to take the country to a World Cup quarter-final for the first time since 2002.

Instead, Belgium won 4-1 in the last 16. Balogun later accepted that the noise beyond the camp had affected the American players, while Belgium’s squad acknowledged that the circumstances had added to their motivation for the tie.

Pochettino returned to the subject at a press conference in Orlando, Florida, describing the game as unusually difficult to assess because of the atmosphere in which it was played. He said the build-up had not provided the conditions his team needed to compete properly at a World Cup.

The former Tottenham manager has since agreed a contract extension and remains in charge as the United States move into their next cycle. His side will play Peru in a friendly on Saturday, with further fixtures against Chile, Mexico and Canada scheduled during the current international window as Pochettino looks to restore momentum.