Folarin Balogun’s emotions have been both at sky high and rock bottom since his ejection in Wednesday’s Round of 32 match vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina. Balogun scored the Americans opening goal in the eventual 2-0 victory, but was also sent off after the hour mark after receiving a straight red card from referee Raphael Claus. The 24-year-old caught Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic with a physical challenge, eventually leading to the Monaco striker’s ejection via a VAR review. He will now miss the USMNT’s upcoming Round of 16 tie with Belgium on Monday in Seattle, leaving a major hole in Mauricio Pochettino’s attack. Close to 48 hours since the match ended, Balogun revealed that his emotions have been all over the place. “It’s been a roller coaster. There’s been lots of different emotions,” Balogun told reporters on Friday from USMNT camp in Seattle. “I’ve been upset. I’ve been happy. It’s been surreal, to be honest. But for me, I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people were inspiring, little kids, boys and girls who are watching, and we have to show them the correct way to handle things even when you think it’s unjust.“So I felt I did that,” he added. “And as I said, I’m happy with the support, not just I’m receiving, but the team. And I think we’re all looking forward to seeing what we can do against Belgium.”Plenty of Balogun’s teammates and even Pochettino have supported him, admitting that the play didn’t warrant a red card to the American striker. Several of former USMNT players, now pundits, also believe that Balogun should not have been sent off in the match, as it now hamstrings the squad from having their top group available for the Belgium showdown on Monday. Balogun reiterated that there was simply nowhere for him to put his foot on the play, but has already accepted the one-match ban and moved forward.“If you played the game, you would understand there’s scenarios that you simply can’t avoid and it has to be taken into context when it’s being reviewed,” Balogun said. “I felt it wasn’t on this occasion, but I think as you all saw, there’s nowhere else to put your leg, it’s going to be unavoidable. “So yeah, I’ve seen many different opinions and takes, but for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair and it’s something that’s happened so we have to move forward and I have to accept it,” he added. “But the most important thing is just to focus on the bigger picture, which is Belgium.”Balogun may have been left frustrated by Claus and VAR’s decision in the match, but he still made sure to shake the referee’s hand postmatch. The American striker will now wait to see if he gets another World Cup appearance under his belt this summer, knowing the USMNT have to beat Belgium in Round of 16 play to do so. Although Balogun may not agree with the decision that went against him, he believes it is important to remain respectful towards referees. “You can feel like something [unjust] happened to you. It’s not an excuse to be disrespectful, to not do the right thing,” Balogun said. “And after every game, I tried to shake the referee’s hands and this game is no different. So as I said, the most important thing for me is also to give the correct example to people watching. “This is something I’m aware that the World Cup might be the first time a lot of American viewers are tuning in, so it’s important just to show people things happen to you good or bad, just to continue to be yourself right here,” he added.