The drama around Team USA’s World Cup run didn’t end with its elimination in the Round of 16 against Belgium.
After the United States fell, 4-1, on Monday, July 6, FIFA revealed that two staff members of the USMNT were actually suspended for the match. Team manager Sam Zapatka and U.S. Soccer Federation vice president of security Frank Pannell were both barred from the contest at Seattle Stadium, and soccer’s governing body has not explained why.
“The offense related to the round-of-32 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina and involved the mishandling of FIFA match protocols and people being in designated areas where they weren’t allowed,” ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle reported. “No physical altercation took place.”
Zapatka has worked for the U.S. Soccer Federation since 2015 and has been in his position since 2020. As an administrative manager, Zapatka handles the team’s “off the field operations,” according to USA Today.
Pannell spent time with the CIA and Secret Service before moving to the private sector and eventually working for U.S. Soccer.
The U.S. Soccer Federation also confirmed to ESPN that the suspension was not related to forward Folarin Balogun‘s one-game red card suspension or the successful effort to have the suspension lifted.
Balogun, 25, received a controversial red card during the United States’ win over Bosnia, sparking outrage from fans and calls to President Donald Trump to intervene. Trump, 80, called FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who is his friend, but it is unclear how much of an impact his intervention had on FIFA lifting the suspension.
Team USA head coach Mauricio Pochettino said after the game that the play is “never a red card.”
“Never an intention to step on the player,” Pochettino, 54, said. “It was a normal action in football that happened by accident.”
The relief from U.S. fans at the suspension being lifted quickly turned to disappointment with a lackluster effort against Belgium in the next round. Balogun said he felt it as well.
“The feeling of disappointment is very difficult to put into words, I think, for me,” he said after the match, later adding, “I know it hasn’t ended the way we wanted it to, but I think you guys have all seen in the process we’ve definitely united a nation.”
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois felt like his team was vindicated with the win after what he perceived as a lack of respect from the Americans.
“In recent days, we have been shown a lack of respect here in the U.S.,” he said. “It was said that they could beat us easily, but I think today we proved that we are a good team. We played a great match.”
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