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A shambolic end for the American dream - did Balogun saga play a part
A shambolic end for the American dream - did Balogun saga play a part?
It all started with the usual razzmatazz that has come to be seen at United States' World Cup games - a boisterous and patriotic fanbase, fireworks, smoke flares and a military flyover.
But the American dream of winning the tournament for the first time fizzled out in shambolic fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a hugely disappointing defeat by Belgium.
The US lost 4-1 - their heaviest defeat since 1990 - while the lively atmosphere that had been a feature of their previous games fell flat long before the final whistle, with Belgium's fourth goal prompting a stream of fans to leave the Seattle Stadium.
This exit at the last-16 stage for the tournament co-hosts came at the end of a whirlwind couple of days, where headlines had been dominated by Fifa's controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's red card from the previous game, allowing him to start this encounter.
Their run to this stage had appeared to capture the attention of the nation but all that positivity appeared to take a hit by the Balogun saga, something not lost on the Belgians before the game.
"It's great to have the world on our side against the United States," full-back Timothy Castagne said before the match.
Balogun said he was not surprised the decision was "controversial".
"I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and then I also accepted the decision when I was told I could play," he said.
There's not too much else I can really say on the matter.
Just how much did that impact the US team, and where did it ultimately go wrong for Mauricio Pochettino's side?
Scoreline aside, there was something different about this US performance.
With Pochettino having successfully shed the underdog mentality, they played with an arrogant swagger earlier in the tournament, attacking teams in such an impressive fashion it had the fans believing their side could upset the odds at this tournament.
"We're going to win the World Cup," one supporter predicted before the match, and his confidence was not alone among the supporters who had gathered outside the Seattle Stadium in the hours before kick-off.
Many also took great delight in the fact their in-form striker Balogun had been cleared to play despite being shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round.
Fifa made the shock decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, leading to widespread criticism, including from Uefa, Belgium and England boss Thomas Tuchel.
The issue went right to the top of US politics, with President Donald Trump saying on Monday that he had asked Fifa to review the decision because he "didn't think it was a foul".
Balogun, who had scored three goals at the World Cup, started against Belgium but struggled to make an impact.
Asked afterwards if he had been affected by being the focus of much of the attention in the build-up, US boss Pochettino said: "It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse. It wasn't our day.
"But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages?
"It's a rule for the federation to apply and to try [to overturn the ban]. My position was to train the team. If Balogun is available because Fifa allow for you to have the player, it's not a problem.
I feel disappointed with too many people. They put politics and manipulation, talk about ethics and integrity [first]. If we talk about the history of this game, I am disappointed in a personal way.
Belgium boss Rudi Garcia revealed that Balogun approached him straight after the game.
"It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him," he said.
The attack wasn't the main issue for the US against Belgium though, with poor defending largely at fault for the heavy defeat.
Charles De Ketelaere was not picked up in the box to tap in the opener, and then was allowed to get the better of two defenders to head in his side's second just moments after the USA had equalised.
But the most calamitous goal was the third.
De Ketelaere tackled hesitant US keeper Matt Freese, who had come out of his area to try to deal with the ball, and Hans Vanaken side-footed the ball into the bottom corner from outside the penalty area.
That gave the Belgians a 3-1 lead and sapped the confidence out of the US fans, who started to leave in the final 10 minutes before Romelu Lukaku's injury-time strike prompted many more to head home.
"There was no willingness to go for the ball," said one disappointed US supporter afterwards.
There was nothing there. There was no drive, football wasn't alive today.
Another added: "The US had unforced errors all over. They didn't play their best game but Belgium played the way they needed to win that game. To silence the crowd like they did, they put themselves in a great spot to win."
Pochettino accepted that his side simply were not good enough from the first whistle.
"Everyone saw from the beginning that we did not connect with the game," he said.
We were never in the game, even when we scored the goal [to equalise], we conceded in the next action. It was really tough from the beginning.
After a bit of a flat build-up to the World Cup there is little doubt that Americans got fully behind it once the tournament got under way.
Fan zones and bars across the United States were often packed, with the national team's jerseys seen everywhere.
The run to the knockout matches and attacking style of football no doubt helped increase that interest, and now the question is what will happen next, as they followed fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico in exiting the tournament at the last 16 stage.
"This can't be a direct reflection of what we were trying to accomplish," US midfielder Tyler Adams said.
You have good days and bad days and this was a bad day. We didn't go as far as we'd like. But if we inspire a few kids on this journey then we have done something right.
Some of those fans who spoke to BBC Sport immediately after the loss also felt that once the dust has settled on their side's display, the past few weeks will ultimately be viewed as a positive, although there's still a long way to go for them to be truly considered an established footballing country.
"It is an amazing event we have put on and we are really excited for the future of soccer in the country," one supporter said.
Everyone has been talking about the World Cup in this country.
Another added: "Long term we have a lot of catching up to do. There's a culture built around football and we're just not there yet."
The other uncertainty is Pochettino's future.
The former Tottenham boss' contract is due to expire at the end of the World Cup, and after the game he offered no further clues on what his future holds.
"Now it's [time] to rest a little bit, to think, to have conversations and see what the decision is from the federation and from us," he said.
I am so happy we built a very good relationship, but now is not the moment. In the next weeks we can start to talk, if the federation wants to talk.
Source: BBC
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