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USMNT captain speaks out on Folarin Balogun red card reversal ahead of Belgium showdown

Tim Ream the United States applauds fans after their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match against Turkey, June 25, 2026 in Los Angeles. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — U.S. Men’s National Team captain Tim Ream says the reversal of forward Folarin Balogun’s red card ban is a “boost of positivity” for the team ahead of their World Cup showdown on Monday against Belgium in the Round of 16.

“I think he’s excited that he can actually contribute on the field and not just be a cheerleader, but Balo, he’s got a big smile, and he’s been beaming ear to ear since we all found out the news,” Ream told “Good Morning America,” in an interview that aired Monday.

Balogun is now eligible to play in Monday’s game following a red card he received during the team’s July 1 match with Bosnia-Herzegovina for landing on an opposing player’s ankle.

Balogun was ejected mid-match and subsequently received a one-game ban. FIFA told ABC News at the time that the referee’s call was final and not able to be overturned or appealed.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the match, which the U.S. won 2-0, that Balogun was “disappointed” by the call, claiming the clash was not intentional, according to ESPN.

Following the July 1 game, President Donald Trump called FIFA president Gianni Infantino and discussed the red card suspension, which would have forced Balogun to miss Monday’s game, a U.S. official told ABC News on Monday.

The official said Trump wanted to better understand the reason the red card was given and why there was a suspension.

On Sunday, FIFA reversed course, announcing that “the implementation of the match suspension is suspended for a probationary period of one year” and adding that if Balogun “commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity during the probationary period, the suspension shall be revoked and the sanction enforced without prejudice to any additional sanction imposed for the new infringement.”

FIFA’s about-face has sparked outcry from other groups, including the European and Belgian soccer associations.

“The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) is astonished by FIFA’s decision to declare suspended United States player Folarin Balogun eligible to play” in Monday’s match, the RBFA said in part in a statement Sunday.

“In order to safeguard the legitimate rights of all participating teams and to protect the fundamental principles of fair play in our sport, both at this FIFA World Cup and at future editions of the tournament, the RBFA is investigating all potential options,” the group added.

In a follow-up statement on Monday, the RBFA said it was challenging FIFA’s decision to dismiss its earlier red card ban and reinstate Balogun ahead of Monday’s match.

The organization said it was “deeply concerned by the course of events” and pledged to fight the decision.

But FIFA said Monday afternoon it was rejecting the RBFA’s appeal.

“The request was rendered inadmissible on the grounds that the RBFA is not a party to the proceedings and, as such, has no standing to appeal the decision,” FIFA said in part.

The Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA, also expressed “disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision” in a statement Monday.

“A minimum automatic suspension of one match following a red card is not a discretionary option and does not require the decision of a competent body to be enacted. It is a principle embedded in regulations, which cannot be made subject to exceptions, let alone in the middle of a tournament where several other players have been in the same situation and regularly served their suspension,” it said in part.

“When the certainty of rules is no longer guaranteed by its guardians, the integrity of the game is at stake and the credibility of a competition is undermined. Equally, such decision creates a precedent in the ongoing tournament, where similar situations will now require an equal treatment, to the detriment of the competition.”

U.S. Soccer, meanwhile, welcomed FIFA’s decision in a statement on Sunday.

“We accept the decision of the Disciplinary Committee and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to compete tomorrow. Our full attention is focused on the Round of 16 match against Belgium in Seattle, and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans,” the group said.

The U.S. official who spoke to ABC News on Monday said the process for appealing a red card ban is run by an independent board, adding that the U.S. government provided additional evidence that was used in the appeal process and saying the “correct and proper outcome was achieved.”

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

South Carolina to hold first 2028 Democratic presidential primary

▶ Watch Video: Democrats expected to approve South Carolina as first primary in 2028, but other states pushing back Democrats on Saturday approved a new presidential nominating calendar for 2028, cementing South Carolina's place as the first official Democratic primary state, as the party looks to elevate states that better reflect its diverse coalition of voters.The vote came during the Democratic National Committee's summer meeting in Austin, where members signed off on a schedule that begins with South Carolina on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia round out the early-state lineup throughout February, all voting before Super Tuesday.The new calendar goes into effect amid a tug-of-war within the progressive and establishment wings of the party. It also continues a shift away from a tradition that for half a century gave states that are predominantly composed of White voters — Iowa and New Hampshire — outsized influence at the start of the nominating process. Strategists say the new calendar gives greater influence to Black and Latino voters, who make up key parts of the Democratic coalition. "If you're not strong with Latino voters or if you're not strong with Black voters, you know you can only get so far in this calendar," CBS News contributor and Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha said, adding that the schedule shows Black voters "the respect that they're due."Not everyone in the party is on board. Democratic leaders in Iowa and New Hampshire — previously the first and second states to hold primary contests, respectively — excoriated the new map as soon as the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee recommended it, arguing that it diminishes the role of states that have long taken on the responsibility of shaping the presidential nomination battlefield. "New Hampshire's First in the Nation primary is a tested proving ground in a closely contested swing state that forges better candidates and better presidents — and despite what DNC insiders say, that hasn't changed," New Hampshire's U.S. congressional delegation said in a statement. "As a state with highly engaged voters, we put candidates through their paces and thoroughly vet them. And our small size means that actually meeting and talking to voters takes precedence over super PACs or mega-donor-fueled campaigns."Momentum for South Carolina's ascension in the calendar traces back to 2020, when a victory there shifted momentum in the presidential primary that year to Joe Biden after he performed poorly in Iowa, New Hampshire and, to a lesser extent, Nevada. Under pressure from Biden and his allies, the DNC moved South Carolina's primary to first for the 2024 calendar. That cycle, New Hampshire defied the DNC's revised schedule and held its primary before South Carolina, citing a state law that mandates it hold the first primary. In response, the party stripped the contest of its sanctioned status. DNC Chair Ken Martin has signaled that if New Hampshire jumps ahead again in 2028, punishment will be more severe. "This is a calendar this party is actually going to protect," Martin told reporters after the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met last month to propose a new schedule. The new calendar could impact the ideological battle within the Democratic Party between establishment moderates and more progressive candidates, including far-left democratic socialists. With no obvious 2028 front-runner, the newly approved schedule gives South Carolina, Nevada and the other four early states disproportionate influence over which faction can build early momentum in the 2028 presidential primaries. Among the states granted early slots, only Nevada and New Mexico offer clear advantages to progressives. Michigan has shown openness this cycle to progressives, with the primary victory of Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race, but historically has elected more moderate candidates. New Hampshire voters have over time shown an openness to outsiders, but they typically have a more independent streak rather than a steep ideological lean. Progressives face an uphill battle in South Carolina, which has fewer of the White voters with college degrees who tend to support further-left candidates, and Virginia, which has long favored more moderate candidates. The decision to elevate states with large Black and Hispanic populations also comes as Democrats fight to stop the GOP from gaining ground with those two groups in general elections. President Trump won 48% of the Hispanic vote in 2024, up 12 points from four years earlier, and he won 15% of Black voters, almost double his share in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. His share of non-Hispanic White voters remained stable, at 55%.
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