SEATTLE -- U.S. men's national team attacker Christian Pulisic said that FIFA's lifting of Folarin Balogun's suspension "feels right."
Balogun was initially looking at a one-game suspension due to the red card he received in the round-of-32 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina. That would have kept Balogun out of Monday's round-of-16 match against Belgium.
But FIFA announced Sunday morning that Balogun's ban "is suspended for a probationary period of one year," and that he would be eligible to play against the Red Devils.
Pulisic feels like the outcome was correct given the nature of the foul, which took place when Balogun tangled with Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute of Wednesday's match. "If you look at the foul, it was just zero intent at all," Pulisic said.
"And I felt like there was much worse ones that went on in this tournament. Again, I thought Balo handled it so well and I think the team handled it well. We weren't here to complain or make some [scene]. You have to handle it in a good way and good things happen.
"I think people like that. And he was so positive and all for the team. I mean, it just feels right, I guess."
Balogun and the players got word via social media on the way to training Sunday morning, with defender Chris Richards saying he wasn't sure he believed it.
"I think a lot of us thought it was AI at first," Richards said. "But no, I think we were really excited because we found out through social media, so it was cool. Again, it was a lot of question marks, but just very, very happy and excited overall."
With Balogun back in the fold, the U.S. can move forward with its best lineup available. "He's our leading scorer in the tournament. He's a big part of this team. So of course you want a guy like that around," Pulisic said.
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"I think the team would've been ready without him. We have guys that can step up. There's no doubt about it. Obviously, we weren't sure that this would happen, so it changes things, but we were prepared," he added.
That said, Pulisic pointed out that Balogun makes his job easier in terms of creating opportunities.
"Balo's always available," Pulisic said. "I feel like when I have the ball, when others have the ball, he's making runs. He's so strong, he's quick and he does a lot of good things. So for us to play with a guy like that, it makes it easy."
