Balogun, who ended the tournament as one of the United States' standout performers, admitted that the events leading up to the knockout fixture weighed heavily on both him and his teammates. Although he was eventually cleared to feature after his suspension was overturned, the intense public debate and political attention surrounding the decision proved impossible to ignore.
The Nigerian-American forward had initially been shown a straight red card during the Americans' Round of 32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina following a challenge on Tarik Muharemovic. Under FIFA regulations, the dismissal carried an automatic one-match suspension.
However, FIFA's disciplinary committee later reviewed the incident and lifted the suspension, making Balogun available for the high-profile meeting with Belgium.
The decision sparked widespread debate across the football world after United States President Donald Trump disclosed that he had personally appealed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino to ensure the Monaco striker was eligible to play.
Reflecting on the episode in an interview with CBS, Balogun said he immediately realised the controversy would have consequences beyond his own return to the squad.
"My initial reaction was I was happy to be back in the team, but when I kind of started to reflect, I knew it was going to cause a lot of controversy, and I could almost see within my teammates a bit of nerves, because it is something that is so unique," Balogun said.
According to the 25-year-old, the growing media attention and public scrutiny became increasingly difficult to block out as matchday approached.
"The closer we got to the game I tried to just focus as best as I could, but it was difficult. A lot of outside noise, and that is hard to avoid," he said.
Balogun also maintained that he never believed the original red card decision was justified, insisting there was no malicious intent in the challenge that led to his dismissal against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I was in shock. It was not even a tackle. I was totally in shock. I think you could see my reaction, but I just had to accept the decision and just try to be there for my team. When something is not intentional it should never be a red card, so it was just an unfortunate situation, and I think it put a lot more pressure on us than we needed," he said.
The controversy has continued long after the United States' World Cup campaign ended. Human rights organisation FairSquare has since submitted a formal complaint to the International Olympic Committee, alleging that FIFA president Gianni Infantino breached principles of political neutrality over the handling of the case.
Despite the distractions, Balogun praised his teammates for rallying around him throughout the ordeal and helping him remain focused during one of the most turbulent moments of the tournament.
Ultimately, however, the support within the camp was not enough to prevent the United States from suffering a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the Round of 16, bringing the co-hosts' World Cup journey to an end.
Balogun nevertheless emerged with his reputation enhanced, finishing the tournament with three goals in four appearances and reaffirming his importance to the USMNT ahead of future international competitions.