SEATTLE – FIFA confirmed that U.S. men’s national team forward Folarin Balogun will only serve a one-match ban for his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, ruling him out of Monday’s World Cup round of 16 clash against Belgium, but no further games should the team advance.

Balogun was sent off in the 64th minute of the USMNT’s 2-0 win at Levi’s Stadium for a studs-up challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, though the decision was not without controversy. Balogun’s back was to Muharemovi, the U.S. player unaware that an opponent was behind him when the incident occurred. USMNT head coach Mauriico Pochettino said post-match that the play is “never a red card” in his eyes, a refrain that the other players of the group also echoed.

An independent committee reviews such plays after the fact to see if bans should stretch longer than a single game, but they generally only decide to do so in instances of serious foul play.

“I think if you’ve played the game, you would understand there’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid and it has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed,” Balogun said before training on Friday in his first public comments since the game. “I felt it wasn’t on this occasion, but I think as you all saw, if there’s nowhere else to put your leg, it’s going to be unavoidable. I’ve seen many different opinions and takes, but for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair, and it’s something that’s happened so we have to move forward, and I have to accept it.”

Balogun became one of a handful of players to score and pick up a red card in the same World Cup game, the last player to do so being France legend Zinedine Zidane. He described the game as an up-and-down experience considering the wide variety of emotions he felt over the course of the 90 minutes.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” he reflected. “There’s been lots of different emotions. I’ve been upset. I’ve been happy. It’s been surreal, to be honest but for me, I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people we’re inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching and we have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust. So I felt I did that and as I said, I’m happy with the support, not just [what] I’m receiving. But the team, I think we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can do against Belgium.”

Balogun’s absence against Belgium poses a fascinating tactical challenge for Pochettino and his staff, especially with the chance to play in their first quarterfinal game since 2002 on the table for the USMNT. The coach is likely to select one of Ricardo Pepi, who started in the 2-0 win over Australia and the 3-2 loss to Turkiye, or Haji Wright, who came off the bench for a brief cameo against Australia. Though he said he is available to offer advice if they ask for it, he has not spoken to either of them specifically about a starting role that is up for grabs against Belgium.

“I haven’t had any conversations with anyone,” he said. “I don’t think now’s the time to put pressure on anybody or the team. I think we don’t know the team as well. As I said, we’ve had a travel day from … I can’t even remember, we’ve got on so many planes. We landed yesterday. I think the most important thing is just to come here and just be out on the field, practice and just enjoy the experience.”

He is ready to slip into a supportive role for his teammates for the time being, though, especially with a high-stakes game ahead of them.

“I feel calm right now. I feel okay. We’re going to go out to practice and always being on the practice field just helps me to take my mind off things,” he said. “[My role is to] just to support the boys, support the team. I love seeing how engaged the country is in our journey and in what we’re doing so I think my role is just to continue to support everybody, to keep morale high and I’m sure for the game against Belgium, we can really create a great atmosphere to win the game.”