- USA forward Folarin Balogun received a red card during the team's 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- The card also means an automatic suspension for the team's next match, which for Balogun is against Belgium.
The USA's Folarin Balogun received a red card during the second half of the United States' 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1, putting the rules for the card in the spotlight.
What is a red card in soccer?
What does it mean for the player who receives it and his team?
Here's what to know about the card and the impact it could have on the United States in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Team USA takes on Belgium in the next round of the World Cup on Monday, July 6, with a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals on the line.
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What is a red card?
A red card can be issued to a player for a dangerous foul, violent conduct, spitting, biting, offensive language for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
A player can also be issued a red card if he receives two yellow cards in the same game.
For the World Cup 2026, officials can also issue red cards for covering their mouths during confrontations, which makes it difficult for referees to determine what is being said.
Players can also be issued a red card for leaving the field to protest a call by a referee.
Folarin Balogun was issued a red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina because his foul on Tarek Muharemovic was deemed dangerous upon video review.
What does a red card mean?
A player who received a red card is automatically ejected from the match, as Balogun was against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Teams cannot replace the ejected player in the lineup and must play down a man, as the U.S. played with 10 men after Balogun departed.
Players who are issued a red card must also sit out the team's next match, so Balogun is set to miss Team USA's match against Belgium in the round of 16.
Can teams appeal red cards?
After Balogun's red card, there was a lot of talk about the U.S. potentially appealing the card so that the star could play against Belgium.
That doesn't appear to be a possibility under World Cup rules.
World Cup rules state in Article 9.6: "No protests may be made about the referee’s decisions regarding facts connected with play. Such decisions are final and not subject to appeal, unless otherwise stipulated in the FIFA Disciplinary Code."
Article 10.5 states: "If a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card (second caution), they will automatically be suspended from their team’s subsequent match."
Reaction to Folarin Balogun's red card
Many slammed the referee's decision to give Folarin Balogun a red card after view review in the USA vs Bosnia-Herzegovina game.
"An absolute joke of a refereeing night," Alexi Lalas said during the FOX Sports broadcast.
Lalas wasn't alone in his thoughts.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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Source: AZCentral
