Forward Folarin Balogun will take the field ahead of their FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium after FIFA suspended his one-match ban on Sunday, a major boost for the United States.Balogun, the U.S.’s leading scorer with three goals, was sent off for stepping on Tarik Muharemovic’s foot in the United States’ 2-0 round-of-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday.His suspension meant he would miss Tuesday’s knockout match against Belgium, but FIFA’s disciplinary committee overturned the decision under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code.According to FIFA, the ban has been suspended for one year. If Balogun commits another offense of a similar nature during this period, the suspension will be reinstated and he will have to serve a one-match ban, as well as any penalties for the new offense.“The imposition of the suspension is suspended for one year,” FIFA announced on Sunday. “If Folarin Balogun commits a further offense of a similar nature and severity during the probation period, the suspension shall be revoked and sanctions imposed, without prejudice to any additional sanctions imposed for new offenses.”U.S. Soccer welcomed the decision and confirmed that Balogun will play against Belgium.“We accept the disciplinary committee’s decision and are pleased that Folarin Balogun is eligible to play tomorrow,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement. “Our full focus is on Seattle’s Round of 16 matchup against Belgium and we look forward to the continued support of our amazing fans.”FIFA had previously used the same Article 27 to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to play in Portugal’s opening World Cup match after receiving a red card against the Republic of Ireland.The United States is aiming to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2002. Since then, they have been eliminated in the round of 16 by Ghana, Belgium and the Netherlands in 2010, 2014 and 2022 respectively. The United States also exited the group stage in 2006 and failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
