SEATTLE — Just over 24 hours before the biggest match of their lives, it’s hard to imagine the vibe at U.S. men’s national team training on Sunday could have been any better.
Players were happy, joking around, smiling wide. Much of that, obviously, had to do with the news they got on the bus on their way to Husky Soccer Stadium that Folarin Balogun would, in a stunning turn of events, be available to face Belgium in the Round of 16, his red card suspension suspended in an out-of-nowhere ruling from FIFA.
“Lit,” Chris Richards said of the reaction on the bus as the news went around.
“To be fair, we were lit on the bus regardless. We had our speaker in the back listening to music,” Richards said. “Then one person said something, another person said the same thing and nobody wanted to confirm it. It was pretty much right when we got here that we found out it was true.”
Balogun himself knew, having been informed prior to boarding the bus. But evidently, he didn’t say much.
“I just saw a big smile on his face,” Christian Pulisic said. “I got to see him and dap him up after that. Knowing we’re gonna have him around tomorrow, it helps so much. It’s a big boost.”
Because the team had yet to decide on Balogun’s replacement, Pulisic said the news he would be available was unlikely to affect any plans.
“Of course you have other guys filling in and trying to figure out what the lineup could look like, but we didn’t have anything set,” Pulisic said. “It’s not like some crazy adjustment we need to make.”
In front of media, players mostly cast a reserved tone about the news, though Richards did say that “a lot of us thought it was AI at first.”
“We’re just so happy that he’s here with us,” Alex Freeman said. “Balo is such a talented player, so I’m just happy he’s able to come out and be a very impactful force.”
The team itself seemingly found out Balogun would be available the way the rest of the world did: when news of the story first broke on social media.
“Some guys were playing Clash Royale, some guys were in the back listening to music,” Richards said. “I think somewhere in between we all heard the reports, so that was cool.”
