United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino has criticised the red card shown to Folarin Balogun during his side`s World Cup victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, insisting the striker did not deserve to be sent off.
Balogun was dismissed in the second half of Wednesday`s 2-0 Round-of-32 win after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor and ruled that the forward had stamped on defender Tarik Muharemovic.
The Monaco striker had earlier given the United States the lead before being shown a straight red card in the 64th minute. He will now miss the Americans` last-16 meeting with Belgium after receiving an automatic one-match suspension.
Pochettino said the challenge was accidental and argued there was no intent to injure the Bosnian defender.
The Argentine coach described the decision as harsh, saying Balogun was simply competing for the ball and that the contact occurred during a normal football action.
United States captain Christian Pulisic also defended his teammate, saying Balogun did not deserve to be sent off and calling the decision unfortunate.
FIFA regulations prevent the suspension from being appealed, meaning Balogun will be unavailable for the knockout clash against Belgium.
Pochettino acknowledged the setback but said the team would now have to find an alternative solution in attack.
Ricardo Pepi is among the leading options to replace Balogun after starting in the final group-stage match against Turkey.
Balogun has scored three goals at the tournament, including a brace in the opening victory over Paraguay, leaving him two goals behind Landon Donovan`s United States World Cup scoring record.
Despite his disappointment over the dismissal, Pochettino said Balogun remained pleased that the team had secured qualification and expressed hope the striker would return if the United States progressed further in the tournament.
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