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
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.
🇺🇸🦅
B
All former FIFA-certified referees raise your hands.
🙋
That's right I used to both play & ref soccer. Now I mostly just mock it. Until they mess w/ Team USA.
This picture of the collision between Balogun & the B&H player looks awful, but it's complete garbage.
Wrong angle to see what really happened.
Balogun was closer to the ball and the B&H player came from his right AND behind initiating the contact. He caused his own suffering.
The ref got it right initially as a no call. They were both playing the ball. Even in a sport known for pitifully lame flopping sometimes two dudes just crash into each other and do some actual damage. Doesn't mean there was a foul.
The replay guy then saw an opportunity to take the Americans down a notch and the ref bought in and made an egregious red card ejection.
If any call was made it should have been against the B&H player who came from behind and out of the sight line of Balogun.
The outrage now is "How dare the Americans get this absurd attempt to weaken them overturned".
Taking a player out of a once in a lifetime game and tournament should be an exceedingly high bar. This was not.
The people pretending to care about the rules are really mad the Americans aren't getting screwed over. It's a common sentiment and all around the world hating Americans for being the Biggest, Baddest and Best is as much a national sport as Soccer Ball.
I've lived overseas for six years and traveled to several dozen countries. Furriners love to hate on us. I'm not saying it's all underserved, I'm just saying it's not new and it's everywhere.
I can't blame them, we're barely 250 years old and we have accomplished more than any country in history. We have invented more amazing things, freed more people from tyranny and lifted more people from poverty and that stings, especially for the Euros who think they own our history.
They do, the part that we left and left behind. The part we are making now they can only watch and be chafed about. Because they can't even come close.
So they were salivating at knocking a US star out of play on a BS call. Sorry Jacques Belgique, you're going to have to take on a full US squad. Good luck, I hope we make you cry some more in the game tonight.
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.
You root for your country.
I think the red card was wrong.
You think the appeal process was wrong.
(I would argue it shouldn’t have needed one)
We disagree.
I am American, so I’m pleased Flo can play.
It will ultimately be decided on the field.
Ball don’t lie.
🇺🇸
(I’ve been on appeal calls with both the NFL and the Premier League many times. Trust me, there are times you know you’re likely fighting a losing battle, but you fight it anyway because that’s what you do for your team. Every now and then it works. But the vast majority you either lose an appeal you thought you should’ve won or you lose one you already knew you were going to lose. So it’s nice to be on the winning side of one that shouldn’t have been red in the first place. Still have to go out and perform now.)
Kentucky lands Milan in a Hail Mary act of desperation. And they quickly forget they had guys choose to go to BYU, DePaul and Colorado instead of going to Kentucky.
Hell even a Nike signed athlete went to a Addidas school over them.
We all remember the desperation from the fanbase to get anyone. Literally anyone