The US World Cup dream ends in shambolic fashion - did red card saga play a part?

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. A shambolic end for the American dream - did Balogun saga play a part? Figure caption, Belgium make light work of USA to set up quarter-final tie with SpainByGary RoseBBC Sport journalist at Seattle StadiumPublished29 minutes agoIt all started with the usual razzmatazz that has come to be seen at United States' World Cup games - a boisterous and patriotic fanbase, fireworks and smoke flares and a military fly over. But the American dream of winning the tournament for the first time fizzled out in shambolic fashion in the early hours of Tuesday morning with a hugely disappointing defeat by Belgium.

The US lost 4-1 - their heaviest defeat since 1990 - while the lively atmosphere that had been a feature of their previous games fell flat long before the final whistle, with Belgium's fourth goal prompting a stream of fans to leave the Seattle Stadium. This exit at the last-16 stage for the tournament co-hosts came at the end of a whirlwind couple of days, where headlines had been dominated by Fifa's controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun's red card from the previous game, allowing him to start this encounter. Their run to this stage had appeared to captured the attention of the nation but all that positivity appeared to take a hit by the Balogun saga, something not lost on the Belgians before the game.

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"It's great to have the world on our side against the United States," full-back Timothy Castagne said before the match. Just how much did that impact the US team, and where did it ultimately go wrong for Mauricio Pochettino's side? How much did Balogun saga impact US?

Image source, via Getty ImagesImage caption, Belgium boss Rudi Garcia spoke to Folarin Balogun after the matchScoreline aside, there was something different about this US performance. With Pochettino having successfully shed the underdog mentality they played with an arrogant swagger earlier in the tournament, attacking teams in such an impressive fashion it had the fans believing their side could upset the odds at this tournament and go all the way. "We're going to win the World Cup," one supporter predicted before the match, and his confidence was not alone among the supporters who had gathered outside the Seattle Stadium in the hours before kick-off.

Many also took great delight in the fact their in-form striker Balogun had been cleared to play despite being shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic in the previous round. Fifa made the shock decision to suspend the automatic one-match ban for 12 months, leading to widespread criticism, including from Uefa, Belgium and England boss Thomas Tuchel. The issue went right to the top of US politics, with President Donald Trump saying on Monday that he had asked Fifa to review the decision because he "didn't think it was a foul".

Balogun, who had scored three goals at the World Cup, started against Belgium but struggled to make an impact.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.