Belgium routs USA 4-1, players mock Trump with dance after red card controversy

The red card controversy

Folarin Balogun, the USA's top scorer with three goals at the tournament, was sent off in the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under standard rules, he would have missed the Belgium match. On Sunday, President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA, and the governing body suspended the one-match ban for a year, allowing Balogun to play. UEFA issued a sharp rebuke, calling the decision a crossing of a "red line." FIFA defended itself, noting that the red card was not annulled, only suspended, and that similar measures are common in domestic leagues.

I am very frustrated and very disappointed with people who should understand this situation.

Belgium's dominant performance

Despite the controversy, Balogun started the match but failed to score. Belgium coach Rudi Garcia left Kevin De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, and Romelu Lukaku on the bench, yet his team still overwhelmed the hosts. Lukaku came on and scored the fourth goal in stoppage time, sealing a 4-1 victory. An ESPN commentator likened the outcome to "instant karma" for the US.

This match was like an old Lennon lyric: instant karma got USMNT and slapped it in the head.

The Trump dance mockery

After Lukaku's goal, Belgian players broke into a choreographed dance that parodied Donald Trump's signature campaign-trail moves. The celebration, captured on camera and widely shared online, was a direct response to the president's involvement in the Balogun case. The New York Post described it as Belgium trolling the entire United States.

The Belgian team, outraged by Trump's intervention, trolled the entire United States with a dance celebration.

Reactions from both camps

US coach Mauricio Pochettino said the controversy did not affect the result, calling it "a very bad day" collectively and individually. He has not decided whether to stay in the role. Belgium's Rudi Garcia revealed that Balogun approached him after the match, and he told the striker it was not his fault. Garcia had framed the match as defending football from political interference.

He came to talk to me. I liked that. It's not his fault. He is not responsible for this, and I told him that.

What comes next

Belgium advances to a quarterfinal against Spain on July 10 in Los Angeles. The US, the last of the three co-hosts still in the tournament, exits after a campaign that had raised hopes of a deep run. The US has not reached a World Cup quarterfinal since 2002. American media described the defeat as a squandered opportunity, with The Athletic writing that the team "failed the most important test of their lives." The Wall Street Journal noted that within a day, the US team went from beloved hosts to beneficiaries of a cozy relationship between the president and the FIFA chief. Many American players were in tears after the final whistle.