USMNT's Pochettino Addresses World Cup Controversy, Says 'Energy Changed' After Balogun Ruling

USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino says he regrets not getting "more involved" in the decision to suspend a red card for striker Folarin Balogun he says changed the energy of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Pochettino addressed Balogun's red card, which was suspended by FIFA after a reported discussion between federation president Gianni Infantino and U.S. president Donald Trump, in a Spanish language interview with Andrés Cantor published Friday by Fútbol de Primera.

"That loss against Belgium was the consequence of certain things... I should have been much more involved, or should have been part of that decision-making process," Pochettino said about the red card suspension (translation h/t The Athletic's Paul Tenorio).

Pochettino initially supported FIFA's decision to walk back the red card, arguing the United States had already paid by playing without Balogun for almost half of a Round of 32 matchup against Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The decision marked what appeared to be the first time in 64 years a player received a World Cup red card without also serving a suspension, per the Associated Press.

Pochettino said at the time he was "not involved" in the push to lift Balogun's suspension but that U.S. Soccer had been "working on trying to defend our situation," per ESPN's Jeff Carlisle.

The USMNT was then eliminated from the Round of 16 after conceding a 4-1 loss to Belgium in Seattle.

"At the time, I didn't fully understand the criticism and everything else," Pochettino said in his recent interview with Cantor, per Tenorio. "But now, with the benefit of time and looking back on it, the truth is that you have to learn from things, from mistakes. And I think sometimes the things that happen during a tournament have to stay there."

Pochettino continued, per Tenorio: "You have to have the humility to recognize that sometimes you can be wrong. And I think my mistake was not being present at that moment.

"Things happened, and the truth is that the entire energy changed. And that game is very difficult to analyze because it took place in an environment that was not the best environment in which to go and compete at a World Cup."

Pochettino signed an extension with U.S. Soccer last month that brought his tenure as USMNT's head coach through 2030, including the 2030 FIFA World Cup in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

For now, Pochettino will turn his attention to his program's first action since their July 6 loss to Belgium. A USMNT roster not featuring Balogun, Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie will get what Pochettino described as a "fresh start" when beginning an upcoming international break Saturday with a friendly against Peru.