Folarin Balogun is available for the USA game tomorrow against Belgium after Fifa rescinded his red-card suspension on Sunday. The United States now get their main goal threat back for a World Cup last-16 match with a quarter-final spot at stake.
Balogun returns for Mauricio Pochettino
The change lands in time for Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest selection call of the tournament so far. Balogun had been out after the red card, but Sunday’s reversal puts him back in the mix for Monday.
That matters because the United States do not have to build the attack around a replacement from the start. Fifa’s decision gives Pochettino a different option in the final third, and it changes how Belgium have to read the matchup before kickoff.
Belgium planned for Pepi, Wright
Belgium were preparing to face Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright before Balogun became available. That is a different problem for them. Pepi and Wright ask for different defensive choices than Balogun, who is the United States’ main goal threat in this match.
The timing also strips some certainty from Belgium’s buildup. Their scouting work had to account for one attacking shape, then adapt when the suspension was lifted and Balogun re-entered the picture.
Belgium’s Group G edge
Belgium arrive with their own edge from the group stage. They won Group G by goal difference over Senegal, finished one point ahead of eliminated Iran, and needed extra time after trailing Senegal 2-0 in the 82nd minute in the last 32.
Rudi Garcia’s side have also controlled the ball for long stretches, with 57% possession through four games and a 65% field tilt. The United States have 58% of the ball across their four games, so the matchup should be played in tight stretches rather than one team simply waiting for the other to break.
Belgium also carry four holdovers from their 2-1 victory over the United States at the 2014 World Cup, while the United States have none from that meeting. Whether Mauricio Pochettino starts Balogun or turns to Pepi or Wright is the one selection call that now sits over Monday World Cup stakes.
