USA dumped out of World Cup by Belgium as Balogun cannot inspire hosts in 4-1 hammering
The USA striker was ineffective despite FIFA clearing him to play despite his red card against Bosnia-Herzegovina
The USA have been eliminated from the World Cup after losing 4-1 to Belgium in a match which Folarin Balogun started despite a red card in the previous game.
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The build-up to the match saw figures from across football and politics calling for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to resign - after allegations he allowed Donald Trump to pressure the organisation to allow Balogun to play despite an automatic one-match ban.
Balogun, who has three goals at his nation's home World Cup, had been named in the starting XI for Mauricio Pochettino's USA side after being cleared to play.
FIFA used a little-known rule in their rules to make the decision, with Trump's admission of lobbying Infantino leading to accusations of political interference.
Belgium opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Charles De Ketelaere capitalising on some sloppy defending to tap in a pass deep in the box.
The hosts looked outpaced early, but relieved some pressure at the half-hour mark when a Malik Tillman free kick made a slight deflection off the wall and sent Belgian keeper Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.
The raucous crowd was quietened just minutes later however – De Ketelaere nabbing his second goal through a perfectly headed cross in the six-yard box.
The Americans looked energised following the half-time break, enjoying a wealth of possession in the early stages, but struggled to generate any real threatening chances.
Their task got more difficult in the 57th minute when Belgium made the most of an unforced error.
US goalkeeper Matt Freese came way off his line to meet a long ball but his attempted kick only found the turf, with the ball instead ending up in the possession of Hans Vanaken, whose shot beat defender Tim Ream and gave Belgium some breathing room.
The US were desperate to claw one back, and substitute Sebastian Berhalter almost did just that with a shot from deep which just barely whizzed past the left post.
His attempt generated some much-needed momentum for the US, who spent most of the final stages of the match camped in their attacking third but could not find the back of the net.
A Romelu Lukaku goal in added time was ultimately the dagger in the heart for the US, with Belgium progressing to a quarter-final clash with Spain.
In an astonishing admission on Monday, President Trump said: "I'm the one that got them to do it".
The US president is said to have called FIFA on several occasions before Balogun’s ban was lifted.
Speaking at the White House, he blasted the referee’s “suspect” decision to give Balogun a red card as he praised FIFA for a "really brilliant decision" to revoke the ban.
"I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well," he said.
Trump added: "That wasn't a foul... that was two guys running full speed that happened to crash into each other. Like, you can't take your foot and properly place it on somebody else's foot... these were two great athletes that got tangled up.
"This referee is a little bit suspect. If you check his past, I don't want to say that because I don't like to create controversy, but very suspect."
Infantino is now facing calls to resign - but has insisted that there was no interference with the work of FIFA's disciplinary committees, which are independent.
The Belgian football association had spoken strongly against the decision ahead of the clash.