Pepi favored to replace Balogun for USMNT vs Belgium
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Folarin Balogun received a 64th-minute red card in the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina following a lengthy VAR review, ruling him out of the round-of-16 match against Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
- FIFA statutes prevent the red card from being overturned, with appeals limited to mistaken identity or reducing a multi-game suspension, the article notes.
- Christian Pulisic publicly backed his suspended teammate after the match, telling reporters 'I just told him he's done so much for us, and now we got his back.'
- Ricardo Pepi leads Haji Wright in World Cup playing time (184 minutes to 1) and in passing accuracy, with Pepi completing 83.7% of passes overall and 80.8% in the attacking third, compared to Wright's 68.6% and 71.5% respectively.
- Pepi recorded two assists in the pre-World Cup friendly win over Senegal, showing an ability to link up with Pulisic by checking to the ball and playing him into space.
- Pepi and Wright offer more aerial presence than Balogun, standing 2 and 5 inches taller respectively; Pepi scored six headed goals at club level this season, Wright had three, and Balogun just one.
- Mauricio Pochettino is unlikely to repeat his March experiment of using Pulisic as a central striker against Portugal, a tactical shift that saw Pulisic lose 6 of 7 duels in 45 minutes.
Why it matters: Balogun's red card strips the USMNT of their primary goal threat for a win-or-go-home knockout match, forcing Pochettino to choose between Pepi's link play and Wright's Championship-honed physicality. The replacement decision matters because the article explicitly shows Pepi is statistically superior in the creative passing and pressing roles Balogun filled, while Wright's edge in aerial ability could matter if fullback Antonee Robinson — whose 14.3% cross completion trails the tournament average of 23.7% — can deliver service.
