Former USMNT star Landon Donovan has said he is "disappointed" that the row over Folarin Balogun's red card became "out of hand" after Donald Trump became involved, arguing the controversy overshadowed the US men's national team's World Cup campaign. Balogun was sent off during the round of 32, which would ordinarily have ruled him out of the next match, but the incident escalated into a wider political and footballing controversy once the White House weighed in.

FIFA subsequently decided to suspend the red card, overturning the ban and allowing Balogun to remain available for selection, a decision that proved contentious. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House's World Cup task force, discussed the affair publicly, acknowledging there is "a lot" of politics in football and defending FIFA's call to lift the suspension. Donovan's comments reflect concern that the dispute, and the political attention it drew, detracted from the team's on-field achievements during the tournament.