US player Folarin Balogun has sent a message after his team was eliminated from World Cup, making no reference to the controversy of the overturned sanction for his red card that allowed him to participate in the round of 16 match against Belgium... that they later lost 4-1.
"My debut World Cup... it hurts to wait 4 years to compete at the highest level our sport has to offer. I want to say sorry to our fans it was not good enough when it mattered most and we let you down", wrote Balogun on social media.
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Balogun has played for the US national team since 2023, as he was born in Brooklyn in 2001... because his Nigerian parents were not allowed to take a flight back to London after a visit to New York, as his mother was seven months pregnant. Balogun grew up in London and in fact, he used to play for England's youth teams before switching to USA, and has played his entire career in Europe, currently at Monaco.
"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."
Balogun was at the centre of the controversy and received particular scrutiny for his performance during that match, that didn't translate to goals. He left World Cup being the team's top goalscorer, with three goals. After the defeat, Balogun went to speak with Belgium coach Rudi García, who had been very critical with FIFA overturning his red card. "It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame", García said, who really appreciated the gesture of the USA striker.