What Soccer Analysts Think of That Red Card on US

The US men's soccer team won Wednesday, but the victory came at a cost, and one that may have given a lot of Americans new knowledge about red cards. Details and what's next:

• The foul: US star Folarin Balogun received the red card after a collision with Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic, meaning Balogun got tossed from the game and will miss the next US game on Monday against Belgium. Watch the play here, in which Balogun's foot lands on his opponent's ankle.
• The explanation: By rule, any tackle or challenge deemed to endanger an opponent's safety must be punished as a "serious foul play," and referee Raphael Claus concluded that this one qualified after a video review, per the Athletic.

• No appeal: The penalty cannot be overturned, a FIFA spokesperson tells CBS Sports. There is an appeal process for red cards, but only for those that involve multiple-game suspensions. Because Balogun's is only game, the US is out of luck. Theoretically, a disciplinary panel could extend Balogun's penalty if the US advances on Monday.
• Criticism: During the game broadcast, Fox Sports referee analyst Mark Clattenburg disagreed with the call, suggesting that the slow-motion replay distorted the severity of the play. "This is just an accident. It happens," he said. "This doesn't meet, for me, the criteria of a red card." US manager Mauricio Pochettino made similar comments after the game, calling it a "normal action in football that happened by accident." However, the CBS piece notes that a player's intent is technically irrelevant.
• Little choice in slo-mo? Former Premier League ref Graham Scott notes that video reviews have shifted the focus to granular, slo-mo looks at contact. And while Scott personally thinks such apparently accidental plays should not rise to the level of red cards, he understands why this one was doled out: "In the spirit of the law, Balogun was unlucky. But in its recent interpretation, a red card was inevitable." At the BBC, Alex Hoad agrees that the slow-motion look gave the ref "little choice but to brandish the red card" under current rules.