The United States has no route to appeal the red card issued to Folarin Balogun in Wednesday's round-of-32 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina, FIFA confirmed to ESPN and ABC News, meaning the forward will miss the World Cup round-of-16 clash against Belgium.
And Balogun could yet face an extended suspension if FIFA's disciplinary panel regarded his challenge on Bosnia's Tarik Muharemovic as warranting more than the automatic one-match ban issued with World Cup red cards.
A U.S. Soccer spokesperson said after the game it would appeal any suspension longer than one game.
Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo had his one-match ban for a red card extended to five games by FIFA after Canada's Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg in a challenge during the Group B tie earlier in the tournament. Sources have said no decision has been made as to whether to review the length of Balogun's suspension.
Article 66.4 in the FIFA disciplinary code states "if a player or team official is sent off as a result of a direct or indirect red card [for a second yellow card], they will automatically be suspended from their team's subsequent match."
Rule 10.5 also specifies that further penalties can be added, but FIFA sources have said that there is no route to appeal a red card at the tournament.
Sources added that the VAR review is regarded as the first appeal of an incident as offenses are immediately reviewed by the match officials.
Balogun, 24, is the United States' leading scorer in the tournament with three goals, including the opener in the 2-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California.
But a red card issued by Brazilian referee Raphael Claus in the 64th minute following a VAR review of a challenge on Muharemovic triggered an automatic one-match suspension.
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Claus' decision has been widely criticized, with coach Mauricio Pochettino saying it was "never a red card" and that the challenge was a result of a "normal action in football."
Despite Pochettino's anger at the decision to dismiss Balogun, Muharemovic did require lengthy on-field treatment after being caught by Balogun's studs on his ankle and Achilles tendon.
The U.S. plays Belgium in Seattle on Monday aiming to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
