Seattle, Washington - Team USA forward Folarin Balogun said he could understand the commotion caused by FIFA's decision to allow him to play against Belgium despite a red card suspension.

"Of course it becomes controversial when the decision is reversed," he said after the US were eliminated from the World Cup following a 4-1 thrashing by Belgium.

"We accepted the decision when I was shown the red card, and we accepted the decision when we were told that I could play," he added, speaking for the first time about the situation.

Balogun was sent off during the round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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The red card triggered an automatic one-game ban, but FIFA suspended the ban in a near unprecedented move so he could play against Belgium. The Belgian appeal was rejected by FIFA.

The saga has rocked the World Cup and shocked the soccer community, with critics accusing governing body FIFA of giving in to alleged political meddling.

President Donald Trump said at the White House that "I asked for a review because I didn't think it was a foul" and that a suspension would have left "a big stain" on the tournament.

Among the harshest critics of the decision was Belgium coach, Rudi Garcia, who spoke to Balogun after the game.

"He came up to me, and I appreciated that. It's not his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. I respect him," Garcia said.

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said his team faced a "lack of respect" in the US in the past few days, while captain Youri Tielemans said that the Balogun controversy gave the squad an extra motivation.

"Let's be honest: we held a meeting when we heard the news. We told ourselves we needed to do our talking on the pitch. That's what we did today. I'm very proud of the team," he said.

Midfielder Nicolas Raskin said the victory brought a sense of justice.

Soccer World Cup: FIFA clears Team USA's Balogun to play after Trump call

"I think there was always a justice somewhere in life and the ‌fact that something can happen like that, you can put it all you want, but we don't think that was fair," he told reporters.

"And ​today, I think it just brings us a little bit of luck. We needed to win the game and the message throughout."

After Belgium's fourth goal, the players danced similar to how a Trump dance went viral during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Scorer Romelu Lukaku also cupped his ears in celebration.

After the match, the national team X account was quick to post a message once the victory as confirmed: "Overturn this," the account wrote in a post with images of Belgium's goal celebrations.

In another post, they said: "It's called football," with the word "soccer," typically used in the US, crossed.