USMNT predicted lineup vs. Belgium after Folarin Balogun's suspension

Wednesday was almost the perfect night for the USMNT. Almost. The United States beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at Levi's Stadium in the World Cup round of 32, but lost striker Folarin Balogun to a red card. If you asked a U.S. fan, or indeed Mauricio Pochettino, which players would they least like to be without for a big World Cup knockout tie, Balogun would feature towards the very top of this list. He will though not be available against Belgium at Lumen Field on Monday, so who should Pochettino turn to?

Balogun broke the deadlock on the cusp of half time, marking it with a LeBron James-esque celebration, and the striker was certainly the main character in the Bay Area. That's because, just after the hour mark, he was sent off for a challenge on Tarik Muharemović, with referee Raphael Claus brandishing a red card following VAR review. Most agreed it was harsh, but Mauricio Pochettino's team had to dig deep down to ten men to go through. They did that. Malik Tillman's free kick eight minutes from time, which doubled the U.S.'s advantage, meant that the party could really start.

Now though, attention quickly turns to their round of 16 meeting with Belgium in Seattle on Monday night. Belgium has been very underwhelming this summer in general, so they are certainly beatable, but Balogun's enforced absence due to suspension will be a massive hindrance to their hopes.

USMNT predicted lineup vs. Belgium after Folarin Balogun's suspension

• Goalkeeper: Matt Freese
• Defenders: Alex Freeman, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson
• Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Malik Tillman, Weston McKennie
• Attackers: Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Sergiño Dest

Who replaces Folarin Balogun vs. Belgium

There appears to be only one man likely to be in contention to fill Balogun's rather large void, and that is Ricardo Pepi. Haji Wright is the other center forward in the squad, but he has seen a solitary minute of action across the USA's eight matches in 2026, seemingly not properly in Pochettino's plans.

Pepi meantime was impressive during a pre-tournament friendly win over Senegal, starting that game and setting up Christian Pulisic's goal in Charlotte. He then also started against both Australia, in Pulisic's absence, and Türkiye during this tournament, leading the line for the final group game in Los Angeles.

Pepi is a more than decent deputy. He scored 19 goals for PSV Eindhoven last season, while he has netted 13 times for USA, albeit the most recent of these came in November 2024. However, Pepi is a very different center forward to Balogun, thriving in open space and often looking to run in behind, while Balogun's hold-up play has been one of the most impressive aspects of his game this summer. Well, against a Belgium side that has been suspect defensively, his natural running power could be an asset, but the U.S. will have to change the way they attack to prevent Pepi from being an awkward fit.

Nevertheless, in terms of personnel, the rest of Pochettino's lineup is likely to be the same as against both Paraguay and now Bosnia. In the latter, the United States named the same XI in multiple World Cup matches for the first time since '94, and continuity will continue to be key, even in the absence of their talisman.

Folarin Balogun's importance to the USMNT

Balogun came into this tournament following the best season of his club career so far, scoring 19 times across all competitions for Monaco, including five in the Champions League. Well, he has seemingly elevated his game to an even higher level this summer.

Across his last six competitive international starts, Balogun has now scored five goals. He was on target against both Bolivia and Panama during the Copa América, bagging a brace against Paraguay on the opening night of the World Cup, before opening the scoring during Wednesday's win over Bosnia. More than just goals, he has been absolutely excellent at the World Cup thus far.

Folarin Balogun's World Cup 2026 statistics

Note: Statistics courtesy of SofaScore.

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