Folarin Balogun of the U.S. during the warm up before the match FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match between United States and Belgium at the Seattle Stadium, Seattle, Washington, U.S. on July 6, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
Imagn Images via Reuters
U.S. striker Folarin Balogun will start Monday’s (July 6, 2026) World Cup last-16 clash against Belgium after FIFA suspended the red-card sanction he received in the team’s previous match, with a FIFA appeals committee rejecting Belgium’s challenge to the decision.
Balogun, the team’s leading scorer at the tournament with three, spearheads the U.S. attack alongside Christian Pulisic.
Also read | The tarnished game: Trump, FIFA, and a suspended red card
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino selects Matt Freese to start in goal, with no changes from the previous match against Bosnia.
Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku all start on the bench.
U.S.: Matt Freese, Sergino Dest, Chris Richards, Tyler Adams, Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Alex Freeman, Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun.
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois, Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Youri Tielemans, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Nicolas Raskin, Amadou Onana, Dodi Lukebakio.
