07-03-2026, 05:18 PM
(07-03-2026, 02:36 PM)Leftcoast Wrote: Tough crowd here when it comes to refs!
In my opinion, it was a dangerous play with forseeable injury risk. While the injury was probably not the goal, it's not on the refs to guess a player's intention. So a dangerous play, hard contact seen through to the ground, and a player out for the rest of the game (at least). I was hoping for only a yellow, but not surprised by the red.
Here's a counter-factual - If this was turned around and it was Balogun or Pulisic writhing on the ground after a hard foul with an ankle turned 90° and probably out for the rest of the WC, would US fans be calling for a Red card? I think so.
Tarik Muharemovic (the player fouled by Balogun) played the rest of the game and led both teams with 11 clearances. In fact the didn't even miss a minute of action since he received treatment while the referee was reviewing the play on the monitor.
So what are you talking about (inventing, better said) about missing the rest of the game and being out for the rest of the world cup?