Castle Finn

[Castle Finn @FinnHarpsfan]

@herculezg 👀 wow. The replies. You still claim this hack @ESPN ?
@kammarmanMNT @ESPNFC @ESPNsoccer @JeffreyCarlisle @SamBorden @ESPN_BillC @lizzy_becherano @cesarhfutbol @ussoccer_comms @USMNT

[Castle Finn @FinnHarpsfan]

@herculezg Such a low IQ blow hard. Your on-air whining is so unpleasant to the viewing listener. You’re a prime example of the Peter Principle whose contract shouldn’t be renewed. At best, your professional analysis is USL level.

[11 Yanks @11Yanks]

Remember when they called fans toxic for saying Berhalter should go after one cycle? If you're a member of the old boys club they will coddle, protect, defend and attack the fans for you.

If you are an outsider who is trying to make us better, they want your head.

[The Last of the Black Iowans 🤞🏾🌽 @byst]

Klinsmann tried to tell them in the 2010s

And rich people wanted him executed for calling a thing, a thing

[Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel]

Pay to play. Travel over training. An incentive to coddle not coach.

Youth soccer is broken in America, the USMNT keeps proving it true.

Column for @espn

https://t.co/CMvJrLKnHY

[USMNT Otaku 🇺🇸 @USMNTOtaku]

Several spots are up for grabs.

[Tactical Manager @ManagerTactical]

The 2 best players the USMNT 🇺🇸 has was pretty obvious this World Cup…

It’s Balogun and Tillman.

Both were not developed in the 🇺🇸, until the federation grows some balls and does what’s right it will continue to be this way.
It’s start with the federation and extends to the leagues which is where the good players should be developed.

[Castle Finn @FinnHarpsfan]

@ProspectsUsmnt Should USSF have rehired Gregg for second term?
Did USSF handle that process wisely?
Did Poch inherit a good program from Gregg?
From his hiring until the World Cup, how much time did Poch have with USSF and USMNT?

[Bonchie @bonchieredstate]

None of these Euros even deny the red card was illegally given to Balogun, with the refs breaking their own rules in the process.

But they cry and demand an advantage on an unjustified technicality anyway.

So weak. So pathetic. So Europoor.

[Riley Gaines @Riley_Gaines_]

The same left-wing media saying tonight's USMNT game is "tainted" and "unfair" because the red card was reversed are the same outlets who celebrate men dominating in women's sports.

Spare me, please.

[Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow]

Welp this settles it.. I was a little worried I was gonna have to suppress some “this doesn’t feel right” guilt while celebrating THE SHIT AHT OF AMERICA but now I know..

THE DECISION WAS MADE BY AN INDEPENDENT VOTING COMMITTEE

🗣 CONSCIENCE CLEARED BABY

NOW WE GO FLO 🇺🇸🇺🇸

[Mark Valorian @markvalorian]

Once you fully debunk the “technical justification,” the argument against Balogun’s reinstatement collapses to an irrational cling to normalcy:

“This has never happened before, therefore it is unfair.”

I can understand the gut reaction, but this is just as fundamentally illogical as the technical justification.

If we concede the red card was undeserved, why is it a bad thing for FIFA to adapt and correct a wrong? Is it preferable to deliberately allow an unjustified suspension to be carried out?

And why is it fundamentally unfair for this to be the first time they do it anyways? There is “legal” precedent; FIFA has the documented ability to review disciplinary measures and suspensions. Just because this scenario happened to play out at this stage of the tournament doesn’t change the fact that the red card was totally undeserved.

If there were another immediate example in this tournament of an egregiously incorrect card being applied that was NOT corrected by FIFA, then there would be an issue. But as it stands, there is simply no rational argument for why this should not be the first.

Of course, when you boil it down, the argument is not really about either the technical justification or the normalcy, but more that it’s just the USA that is the beneficiary. And I’m sorry to say, but if that is driving your sentiment, you need to get over yourself.

The facts of the matter are clear: this was an unjustified red card that should have been corrected, regardless of the team it was applied to. FIFA absolutely made the right decision, and the game and tournament is better for it.

[USMNTTAKES @USMNTTAKES]

“We’re now rooting for Belgium because the USA got their best player back and made it a fair game.”

You European clowns act like you weren’t already rooting for the U.S. downfall. Y’all were literally praying Bosnia would beat us. Glad we’re sticking to the stats quo.

[Jennifer Sey @JenniferSey]

If you think this was corrupt - overturning a red card that was bullshit to begin with - you're gonna be floored when you hear about the $150M in bribes and kickbacks FIFA took from sports marketing executives.

I'll be yelling Go USA and Go Balogun tonight. 🇺🇸

[Robert Griffin III @RGIII]

FIFA got it right by suspending Folarin Balogun’s Red Card under Article 27.

Belgium’s protesting the decision isn’t about the integrity of the game. It’s about getting an advantage over the USA.

If it was about the integrity of the game, they would be championing Balogun having his Red card suspended because it was improper use of the VAR system and not a Red card offense.

Where were the appeals when Cristiano Ronaldo got his 3 game red card ban suspended and reduced to a 1 game ban on a friendly so he could play this entire World Cup?

DR Congo and Uzbekistan didn’t protest Cristiano Ronaldo eligibility to play.

They played Portugal at full strength.

If Belgium doesn’t want to play now because FIFA made the right call and the USA has Folarin Balogun back in the lineup, then THAT’S WEAK.

They don’t deserve to win.

Put the ball down and play.

Don’t pick up your ball and go home.

[NYJ Matt @NYJ_Matt]

6,500 people died building stadiums after Qatar won the bid for the 2022 World Cup

I think that decision might be a little worse than overturning a bad red card

[claybraham lincoln @ClayLaSoul]

The notion that Belgium has a right to appeal a decision, but the U.S. does not have a right to appeal is a little funny, right? That’s essentially Belgium’s position.

[Mark Valorian @markvalorian]

A fantastic decision by FIFA.

Red cards are given out as a punishment to deter bad behavior; when the behavior is accidental, issuing a punishment is entirely performative.

Balogun’s red card served no purpose. Its only role would have been to unjustly handicap one of the best storylines of the tournament in their biggest (and most visible) moment so far.

A fantastic move by FIFA to recognize this and correct to allow the players to decide the outcome of the game. Well done.

[David Furones @DavidFurones_]

Belgians: We deserve an advantage in the round of 16 because our opponent was affected in the previous round by a ruling that was questionable at best and completely unrelated to our last match.

[Dave Johnson @davejsports]

When VAR called the head referee over to the monitor, they didn't just use slow motion to show where Balogun's foot landed. They isolated the contact on a slow-motion loop and showed still frames. By looking primarily at slow motion to judge the force of the challenge, the referee violated the core spirit of the rule. Slow motion strips away momentum, makes completely accidental slips look highly calculated, and makes routine contact look incredibly violent. That is exactly why the protocol warns against using it to measure intensity—and why the decision was ultimately viewed as a failure of the system