Thierry Henry's brutal 4-word response to Folarin Balogun's USMNT red card VAR disaster

Jeff Smith, For The WinThu, July 2, 2026 at 3:03 PM UTC

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The U.S. Men's National Team is officially advancing to the Round of 16, but their historic 2-0 knockout stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night was somewhat overshadowed by a significant officiating controversy. In the 64th minute, star USMNT forward Folarin Balogun was shown a straight red card following a lengthy VAR review for what appeared to be an unintentional, follow-through challenge on defender Tarik Muharemovic.

The controversial decision forces the USMNT's leading goalscorer to miss the highly anticipated round of 16 match against Belgium, sparking immediate outrage from fans and former players over the strict, VAR-driven protocols. Unsurprisingly, it was French football legend and Fox Soccer analyst Thierry Henry who delivered the ultimate defense of the American striker, completely dismantling the referee's decision with four words that should resonate for the USMNT fanbase.

The short of it? "Have some common sense."

Thierry Henry addresses Folarin Balogun's straight red card vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Henry's comments came during the post-match breakdown alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rebecca Lowe and directly addressed the controversial decision, as The Mirror detailed.

"You need to have some common sense," Henry said. "Where is the player supposed to put his foot there in that situation?"

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The comment made by Henry hits the nail on the head for what should prove to be the most controversial decision of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Balogun, who's been the USMNT's top scorer and an attacking force, will now have to miss the round of 16 game against Belgium due to the red card.

The controversy of the decision came after the referee used VAR to check the challenge, one in which Balogun and Muharemovic were both making a play on the ball, and the USMNT striker couldn't even see the defender, let alone where his foot came down as he was attempting to step down following the pressure from his opponent.

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino summed up his thoughts on the red card as well by simply stating that's "never a red card" and calling it an accident.

While the United States rallied over the last 35-plus minutes with only 10 men on the field, behind an excellent, well-rounded performance, there's no denying that the controversial decision for one of the team's best players comes at the worst possible time. And to make matters worse, there's not much the USMNT can do about the questionable decision, and they'll instead have to focus on preparing to face Belgium without Balogun.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: USMNT red card: Thierry Henry rips VAR over Folarin Balogun

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Source: “AOL Sports”