4 Ways USA Could Replace Suspended Star Striker Folarin Balogun vs. Belgium

Key Points:

• U.S. men's national team manager Mauricio Pochettino faces a key decision for the World Cup round of 16 match against Belgium due to the suspension of star center forward Folarin Balogun, who received a red card in the previous game.
• Balogun has been the team's top scorer and a critical offensive threat, but Pochettino is likely to replace him with Ricardo Pepi, who offers a different style as a classic striker with strong finishing and aerial ability, despite some concerns about his fit in the system.
• Another option is Haji Wright, whose playing style is more similar to Balogun’s, but he has seen limited recent action and is considered a distant backup for a major role in such a crucial match.
• Pochettino could also consider using Christian Pulisic as a false nine striker, a formation previously tried in a friendly loss to Portugal, but this would sacrifice Pulisic’s effectiveness on the wing and require additional lineup adjustments.
• Overall, Pochettino is expected to maintain a similar lineup and approach to recent successful games, likely mimicking the counter-attacking style demonstrated in the pre-tournament Senegal match with Pepi leading the attack.