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USMNT Rondo: Did FIFA get it right on Folarin Balogun - and is his return enough for Mauricio Pochettino’s side to beat Belgium?

FEATURES | F. Balogun Analysis | USA vs Belgium | USA | Belgium | World Cup | M. Pochettino

The U.S. have their star striker back, and head into a fixture against top European opposition in a far better place than many might have imagined.

Right then. Game time. There's no real room for nonsense anymore. The USMNT play Belgium Monday evening, and, after a bit of background controversy, both sides will be at full strength. It was revealed Sunday morning that Folarin Balogun will be available after having his red card suspension, well, suspended. The USMNT are pretty happy about it. Belgium, as they let the world know in a pretty damning statement, are not. All of that aside, though, this should be a really compelling game. Belgium are a good attacking side who got by a tricky Senegal in the Round of 32. The U.S., meanwhile, topped their group, and dug out a gusty win over Bosnia and Herzegovina - a real confidence-building sort of victory. There's history here, too. In 2014, Tim Howard set a new World Cup record in saves when these sides met in the knockouts - but Belgium squeaked through. More recently, these two teams met in a friendly just a few months ago - a weird clash that Belgium won pretty handily in the end. Yet this is a pretty clean slate, and both teams are in radically different places. So, what does this whole Balogun thing mean? Are the USMNT heading into this game with a chance? And who will come out on top? GOAL writers debate it all in another edition of... The rondo.

Did FIFA make the right decision to suspend the red card?

Tom Hindle: No. This is shambolic. It was a red card four days ago, and it's a red card now. FIFA has allowed a head of state to intervene and make a decision because he didn't like it (FIFA deny this, of course, but the White House reportedly made a call and someone picked up - grow up). Is that not entirely insane? Moments like this seriously jeopardize the integrity of the game. The U.S. don't like a call, so they can just have it reversed now? Do, say, England get that same power? Or France? And how are you supposed to referee properly if you know that your decision can be overturned by your employer if it doesn't like it? This is disgraceful behavior and it reflects horribly on both FIFA and the United States. It's blind corruption. No way around it.

Alex Labidou: This is a difficult one to answer. Initially, the decision appeared like the right call. Referee Raphael Claus made the wrong decision on the pitch. With FIFA not allowing any sort of standard appeal mechanism for a botched call like that, it appeared as if the organization was rectifying its own wrong - preventing a host nation team’s biggest match ever from being tainted by Balogun’s absence. However, with recent reports suggesting that the White House got involved to push FIFA to change the outcome, this enters an area that is concerning for sport. If politicians can impact on-field decisions, or even appear to, that is a dangerous precedent that could come back to haunt the sport in future tournaments. Sport is supposed to be about meritocracy, unmarred by outside influences. It is important to note that FIFA has strongly denied any American political influence on its decision. Still, the optics are uncomfortable. It is good for the USMNT in the short run, but without more transparency, this could open a Pandora’s box no one wanted.

Ryan Tolmich: Probably not, because two wrongs don't necessarily make a right. Should Balogun have been sent off in the first place? The general consensus is that he shouldn't have been, but that was the ruling on the day. For FIFA to push back against that ruling does undermine the referees and, in truth, the integrity of the competition. It sets a rough precedent, although it has been set before with the pre-tournament Cristiano Ronaldo ruling. To do that mid-tournament, particularly for a host country? The optics aren't good.

How significant is this call and will his inclusion affect the game?

TH: Massively significant. Balogun has been one of the best players in the tournament, and quite certainly the U.S.'s most decisive. Ricardo Pepi is well off his level at the moment. This changes the whole ball game entirely (even if this writer now really wants the U.S. to get absolutely battered).

AL: It’s massive for both teams. Balogun has arguably been one of the best players at the World Cup, and while his backups in Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright have potential, nothing is better than proven for a match of this magnitude. If he hadn’t played, this game would have been one of the biggest what ifs of American soccer history had they lost. Now, he’s back and that means both sides are relatively at full strength. There’s no excuses for either team now.

RT: Extremely significant. Balogun has been the USMNT's best player and his inclusion dramatically changes the game. The fact that the news emerged just one day before is also significant as it limits Belgium's preparation. Overall, the USMNT will be thrilled.

How significant will home field advantage be?

TH: Ehhhhh. Probably reasonably significant, BUT this will be a real test of the steel of U.S. fans. Are they as impactful as the South American sides we've seen? Or even parts of Europe? TBD. Not so sure that anyone really "fears" American fans. Let's see.

AL: Not to dive into cliche speak, but playing in Seattle could be the difference for the U.S. as it is arguably American soccer’s heartbeat this tournament.

RT: Very. If the USMNT was to choose a stadium for this game to be played in, it almost certainly would be Seattle. It's a fantastic crowd, a fantastic atmosphere and a fantastic soccer city. There are other places that provide that, but none provide it as well as Seattle.

What's the key matchup?

TH: Jeremy Doku vs. Sergino Dest. This will be the first time all tournament that Dest has faced up against an elite winger. How will he handle it? Cast your mind back a few months, and Tim Weah got absolutely mauled by the Man City forward. Dest will have to be much better - and will need help from Alex Freeman, too.

AL: Christian Pulisic against Belgium’s full backs. Timothy Castagne has been fine for his side, but the statistical numbers haven’t been kind to Maxim De Cuyper and Senegal got whatever they wanted when he was marking the ball. Outside of the World Cup opener, Pulisic has been largely quiet due to a combination of injury and matchup. Monday offers him a chance to get back to his best.

RT: The wide areas. Jeremy Doku is a headache for any team, but the USMNT has some very good players in that part of the field, too. How does the USMNT approach it? Is attack the best defense? Do you put some extra attention on Doku, or does that open up too much space for someone like, say, Kevin De Bruyne? What will Belgium do with Balogun's runs into the channels and the space those open up for Christian Pulisic? Space will be key in this game, and whichever team makes the most of that space will win.

Who is Belgium's biggest threat?

TH: (Still) Kevin De Bruyne. His legs may have gone, but his eye for a pass remains. He is also deadly from set pieces. If he gets space, then the U.S. will be in real trouble.

AL: Lukaku off the bench. Listen, the Belgians have a lot of threats, but as Senegal learned, none is more scarier than Lukaku giving the team a second wind in the final 45 minutes when the opposition appear to have an edge.

RT: Jeremy Doku. He’s too fast, too tricky and too talented, and the USMNT saw that in March. Did they learn anything? Surely, but, if not, it’ll be a long day.

Score prediction

TH: 2-0 Belgium. The magic runs out.

AL: 2-1 USA in extra time. This is going to be a tight one, but the Seattle crowd will be the spark for the moment Pochettino and Co. have been waiting for.

RT: It’ll be back and forth and might just be pretty open. With Balogun now cleared, let’s go with 3-2 USMNT.