According to Sport1, US international Balogun revealed that after the FIFA World Cup ban controversy, he felt the US team was very unsettled before the match against Belgium.

"I could almost see a little bit of nervousness in my teammates because it was a very unique situation. It put more pressure on us," Balogun said on CBS "Morning News."

The 25-year-old received a red card for a serious but unintentional tackle in the round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, after Trump spoke with FIFA President Infantino, the impending ban was suspended, allowing him to play in the quarter-final against Belgium, which Belgium ultimately won 4-1. Under such circumstances, it was almost impossible to prepare professionally for this high-profile match.

"The closer it got to the game, the more I tried to focus as much as possible. But it was really difficult – there was so much outside noise and distractions, it was hard to completely shut it off in my head," Balogun said. He still believes FIFA's decision was correct. He was "completely shocked" by the red card: "If it's not intentional, it shouldn't be a red card. It was just an unfortunate situation."

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