USMNT F Folarin Balogun on Tuesday hit the morning show circuit after signing with Klutch Sports for off-field representation. During an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” Balogun talked about how the run the American team made in the World Cup was “amazing” and that he could see “how many fans and how many young kids really were captured by it.” Balogun: “I really felt we were able to unite the country. That was an aspiration of mine and the team before we set out. … That’s a very special feeling to be a part of that.”
Balogun addressed the reversal of the controversial red card he received against Bosnia & Herzegovina that ultimately allowed him to play against Belgium in the round of 16. He noted he was certainly happy to be eligible to play, though he did say, “When I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves because it’s something that’s so unique.” Balogun: “The closer we got to the game, I tried to just focus as best as I could. But it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that’s hard to avoid” (“CBS Mornings,” 7/14).
Balogun also appeared in studio on NBC’s “Today,” where he called the team’s run a “special journey.” He said of the attention around his reinstatement for the Belgium match, “It didn’t help. As an athlete, you want to go into a game that’s already difficult enough with everything that goes on, the pressure. To have more pressure, not just internally (but) from almost the whole football world, was difficult. But it’s not an excuse. We were disappointed with the way it ended, but there’s still a lot of be proud of.” Talking about the future of soccer in the U.S., he said, “Now’s the time to be optimistic. You saw we were really, really able to capture so many people” (“Today,” NBC, 7/14).
