Pochettino’s United States side advanced to the last eight of the World Cup after beating Bosnia-Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday.
The win earned the Americans a last-eight showdown with Belgium in Seattle on Monday evening, keeping alive their dream of lifting the trophy on home soil on 19 July.
However, the victory came at a significant cost, with striker Folarin Balogun dismissed late in the match following an incident with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic.
The 24-year-old former Arsenal youngster had opened the scoring shortly before half-time, netting his third goal of the tournament to break the deadlock against the Bosnians.
Balogun had also come close to a hat-trick, firing one effort wide, having another ruled out for offside, and slicing a shot onto the bar from close range before his dismissal.
Just after the hour mark, as Balogun attempted to shield the ball, Muharemovic got in front of him and the forward’s boot landed on the back of the Bosnian’s ankle as it returned to the ground, causing it to twist gruesomely.
Brazilian referee Raphael Claus was sent to the monitor to review a super slow-motion replay, which left him with little choice but to show the straight red card, despite the incident appearing entirely accidental in real time.
The dismissal placed Balogun in rare historical company, as he became the fourth player to both score and be sent off in a World Cup knockout match, joining Brazil’s Garrincha in 1962, Ronaldinho in 2002, and France’s Zinedine Zidane in the infamous 2006 final against Italy.
On the same night, he also became just the third American to score three goals in a single World Cup edition, making his sending-off all the more bittersweet for the host nation.
The automatic one-game ban rules Balogun out of the Belgium quarter-final, but Fifa officials could yet extend the suspension further, potentially sidelining him for the semi-final and beyond should the US continue their run.
Ricardo Pepi, a long-time Fulham transfer target, is the most likely candidate to replace Balogun, though the PSV forward has not scored in his 184 minutes of action at this tournament, nor in the four friendlies leading up to it.
Pepi’s last international goal came in a Nations League fixture in November 2024, making his lack of recent form a concern for Pochettino ahead of a daunting test against Belgium.
Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards moved quickly to rally the squad around the stricken striker, insisting the group would not be derailed by his absence.
“We told him we have got his back,” Richards said. “We are a team of 26, not just one. Ultimately we are going to miss him for the next game but we know whoever is going to step up is going to do a job just as well as he did.”
Pochettino, whose battle cry of “Why not us?” has become a defining motto of the tournament, said the red card only strengthened his team’s collective resolve on the night.
“When Balogun received the red card, I thought that is the moment we need to show we are a team and the eyes of the players were [saying], ‘Coach, we are ready to go and fight’ and that is amazing,” the coach said.
Former England forward Sue Smith believes the dismissal ultimately galvanised a United States side that she feels has genuine cause for optimism heading into the Belgium tie.
“Once Balogun got sent off, we then saw a real professional side from the USA,” she said. “Defensively they were in good shape, Bosnia threw everything at them but couldn’t quite find that finishing touch. It was a deserved win for the USA.”
Smith added that the Americans had exceeded expectations throughout the competition and would carry genuine threat into the next round, backed by a passionate home crowd.
