SEATTLE — When the red card came out of referee Raphael Claus’ pocket, Folarin Balogun just stood there, stunned.“A ton of emotion” swirled inside him. For weeks, he’d starred at a “dreamy” World Cup. A lifetime of soccer work had led him into the American limelight. Then, suddenly, he was banished from a knockout game for an unintentionally rough challenge; he knew, in that instant, that his tournament could be over. He looked paralyzed.And he felt anger. Millions of Americans did too. They felt the type of rage fueled by injustice that makes people, including countless soccer players, do impulsive, rash, harmful things.But Balogun did none of that. He swallowed the emotions. He carried them on a slow, dejected walk to a Levi’s Stadium locker room.Then he emerged, 30 minutes later, soon after a 2-0 United States win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, and shook Claus’ hand.He did so to set an example, less for the soccer players who often seethe at refs, more for the 30-plus million people watching across the U.S. and many millions more around the world.“There’s still lots of people we’re 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,” Balogun said two days later.He explained that he always shakes the hands of officials after matches. “And this game,” he said, “was no different.”In many ways, of course, it was different. It was the biggest game of Balogun’s life. It was the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history. It was his chance to send his stardom skyrocketing.And for 60 minutes, Balogun did that. He scored his third goal of this World Cup to put the U.S. ahead 1-0. He celebrated with LeBron James’ “Silencer,” and caught the attention of King James himself. “I saw LeBron’s tweet,” he’d later say. “That was a surreal moment. That was amazing.”USMNT prepares for Belgium without BalogunHe was riding the American World Cup wave, vexing Bosnia’s defense, further winning the love of his re-adopted nation, when he tussled for a ball with Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic and accidentally stamped on Muharemovic’s ankle. Initially, he thought Claus would call a foul on Muharemovic. Then, as Claus went to his pitchside monitor for a video review, hearts began to drop.Balogun felt that a yellow card would have been fair. Instead, he saw red.“It’s difficult to see red at any time, but especially now, in such a high-pressure tournament, in such a high-pressure situation,” he’d later say.