SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Folarin Balogun put the United States ahead of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the World Cup's round of 32 match on Wednesday night with his third goal of the tournament, then got a red card early in the second half that forced the Americans to play a man short.
Balogun celebrated a goal with The Silencer move used by the NBA’s LeBron James — twice — but the first time he put the ball in the net only for the goal to be disallowed for offside.
He received a red card from Brazilian referee Raphael Claus for a foul in which he stepped on an ankle of Tarik Muharemovic. Claus didn't initially signal a card but showed Balogun red after a video review.
Balogun would be suspended for the round of 16 game against Belgium should the Americans advance.
After his goal was disallowed for offside in the 31st minute, Balogun scored a goal that counted in the 45th minute after Malik Tillman's pass was deflected into his path by Bosnia's Stjepan Radeljic with a sliding clearance attempt.
The ball deflected off a foot of Muharemovic and bounced in front of Balogun, who with his left foot sent the ball between goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj and the far post for his third goal of the tournament and his 12th international goal.
James, a 41-year-old who is the NBA's career scoring leader, designed the celebration to quiet a hostile opposing crowd.
For his part, James also celebrated on social media.
Balogun matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude's four in the initial tournament in 1930.
Balogun received the Americans' fifth World Cup red card after Eric Wynalda against Czechoslovakia in 1990, Fernando Clavijo against Brazil in 1994, and Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope against Italy in 2006
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Expedia Cruises invites you to experience travel at its most refined. From intimate wildlife… Read moreElite Explorers Expo
Be a winemaker for an evening and craft your own Bordeaux-style blend. Read moreIntroduction to Wine Blending
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.