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John Harkes, a member of the 1994 USMNT World Cup team, was at Levi’s Stadium Wednesday night and had the same reaction as almost everyone else when Folarin Balogun had to leave the game.
“We kept saying, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not a red card,'” Harkes said of his reaction in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.
“You know, we’re in the stadium, and next thing I know, I was there next to my daughter-in-law and our grandson, and then my son and my wife. My son and my wife, Cindy and Ian, turned around and said, ‘That’s not a red card.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God,'” he said. “I don’t think it’s a red card at all, to be honest with you.”
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Sead Kolasinac (5) of Bosnia talks with Folarin Balogun of the United States after Balogun’s expulsion, as Christian Pulisic (10) looks on, during the 32 World Cup match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (Julio Cortés / AP)
In the absence of Balogun, the USMNT had to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match. However, a red card results in an automatic suspension for the next match, meaning an official can change multiple matches with a single call, even if it is, as Harkes says, a “50/50” game.
Harkes was a “victim” of something similar in 1994, the last time the United States hosted the World Cup before this year. He received yellow cards in the first and third matches, leading to a suspension for the July 4 match against Brazil.
“It crushed me. I kept thinking, this is the best in the world coming together, and you’re going to force a player to sit out the next game because of the accumulation of yellow cards?” Harkes said.
John Harkes (6) of the United States in action against Marc Hottiger (2) of Switzerland during a Stage A group match at the Pontiac Silverdome. Pontiac, Michigan. (John Biever/Getty Images)
FIFA RULES LEAVE NO REMEDY FOR TEAM USA AFTER FOLARIN BALOGUN’S CONTROVERSIAL RED CARD
Football is certainly not baseball, whose rules are constantly changing. But if there was one, Harkes would like red cards in one match not to affect others.
“It’s way above my pay grade, but at the same time, a lot of people are discussing it coherently. So let’s take a look at this and see: Does this make sense? I don’t think it does. Not in a tournament format. I don’t think so,” he said.
Unfortunately for the United States, there is nothing anyone can do. Article 9.6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations states: “No challenge may be made against the decisions of the referee concerning facts relating to the game. Such decisions are final and without appeal, unless otherwise provided in the FIFA Disciplinary Code.”
“If a player or team official is sent off following a direct or indirect red card (second warning), he will be automatically suspended from his team’s next match,” states article 10.5.
Folarin Balogun of the United States receives a red card from referee Raphael Claus during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Stadium on July 1, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Getty Images)
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While it doesn’t appear that Balogun had any bad intentions, the United States will have no choice but to find a replacement for someone who was probably their best player in what is now perhaps the most important game in American soccer history on Monday night.
