Brad Friedel is disappointed that political interference overshadowed the United States’ 4-1 loss to Belgium in the World Cup last-16 on Monday, and believes the situation ultimately galvanised the Red Devils to put in their best performance of the tournament.
Folarin Balogun was shown a red card in the 64th minute of the USA’s Round of 32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on July 1, stepping on a defender’s ankle in a challenge the referee initially missed before a VAR review upgraded the punishment to a sending-off.
Under FIFA rules, an automatic one-game suspension should have followed. Instead, FIFA’s disciplinary committee invoked Article 27 of their code to suspend the ban for a one-year probationary period, allowing Balogun to start against Belgium in Seattle.
Reports then emerged that President Donald Trump had called FIFA president Gianni Infantino directly to request a review, with Trump posting on Truth Social to thank FIFA for “reversing a great injustice” before a ball had been kicked on Monday night.
UEFA described the decision as making “the certainty of rules no longer guaranteed by its guardians.” The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was “astonished” and vowed to pursue all available options before Belgium went out and won 4-1.
Friedel, a former United States international goalkeeper with 82 caps, was sad to see the dark cloud overshadow the occasion.
“What went on with government intervention in sports and the Balogun situation, yes, it affected the game,” he told 101GreatGoals via Tonybet.
“You could tell, because one of the first things Balogun did after the game, which was very classy by the way, was go up and speak to Rudi Garcia. I thought Balogun conducted himself impeccably well during the whole situation.
“And the other thing, you look at the celebration of the Belgium players after the Lukaku goal, after the fourth goal, and they were doing the Trump dance. It woke up a giant.
“Just my view on politics and sport, and this isn’t just with a World Cup, this is any sport. Politics and sport don’t mix. They need to stay away. There needs to be an integrity and a purity around sport, and they don’t need to intertwine with one another.”
Friedel: USA always up against it in knockouts
The defeat itself, Friedel argued, was not simply a product of the political chaos surrounding it. He had always anticipated a difficult night against Belgium, with or without Balogun in the squad.
“I always said from day one that once we hit the round of 32 or 16 and we play an opponent that is better than us, we will struggle, especially if that opponent has pace on the wings,” he added. “
“They nullify our full backs, so [Antonee] Robinson and [Sergino] Dest have to stay back, and it isolates [Christian] Pulisic in one-versus-one situations against other good players.
“Our whole makeup is to win the ball in the middle of the pitch or high up the pitch and transition very quickly.
“They are just a better team than us. That is what it is.”
Belgium played at a level, Friedel noted, that fans had not seen since their golden generation days, which included the likes of Eden Hazard.
Charles De Ketelaere scored twice, Hans Vanaken added a third, and Romelu Lukaku completed the rout in second-half stoppage time.
Malik Tillman’s deflected free kick gave the USA a brief equaliser just before half-time, but the co-hosts were outclassed across the 90 minutes.
“I haven’t seen Belgium play with this intensity in a couple of years,” Friedel admitted.
Pochettino aimed to win World Cup
With the host nation’s tournament over, attention turns to the position of head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Pochettino himself told reporters after the defeat that “it wasn’t our day” and that the side “didn’t perform in the way that we’re supposed to perform.”
Whether he stays for another four-year cycle heading into the 2030 World Cup is the next big question.
Friedel, who knows former Tottenham boss Pochettino well, believes the answer depends on what the manager sees when he assesses the squad in the weeks ahead.
“For him, no way did he go into this World Cup thinking anything other than winning it. That is the mentality of the man. I know how far away we are. We have very good players, but we don’t have what those other teams have.
“I personally would like him to stay, because the main thing going forward with us right now is a mentality situation, on how we develop the players mentally and how we get them involved and competitive. Mauricio could help with that, especially with another four-year stint.
“I don’t know if he will, because he needs to now look at his current group, who won’t be there in four years, and look at the under-20 squad and see who could come up.
“He needs to see if it’s a squad worth staying for, to try to do something historical. And now that Mauricio sees what the mentality is about and how far away we are, I’m not sure if he will take that on. But I would love him to.
“But you know he will not have a shortage of offers.”
Brad Friedel was speaking in association with Tonybet. Tonybet’s World Cup Card Collection campaign can see Canadian customers win up to $150,000 CAD.
