As Team USA prepares for its biggest World Cup match in years, some members of the media appear less concerned about Belgium and more worried about what they describe as the “karma” surrounding President Donald Trump’s reported involvement in a controversial FIFA decision.

The controversy erupted after FIFA overturned a red card that would have sidelined U.S. striker Folarin Balogun for Monday’s knockout-round clash against Belgium. The reversal came amid widespread reports that Trump personally contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino to advocate for reconsideration of the suspension.

Whether Trump’s involvement ultimately influenced the decision remains unclear. FIFA has not publicly stated that the president’s outreach played a role in the ruling. Nevertheless, the story immediately became fodder for political commentators who seemed unable to enjoy a rare moment of national unity without filtering it through partisan lenses.

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, co-host Jon Lemire openly expressed concern that the decision could somehow taint America’s World Cup run.

“This certainly helps the U.S. on the field, but the karma is bad,” Lemire said. “The karma is very bad.”

Lemire continued by comparing Trump’s reported influence to that of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“You know, Keir Starmer, lame duck Prime Minister of the U.K., probably can’t get that red card overturned. I don’t think so. But President Trump can.”

The veteran political journalist then lamented what he viewed as a change in the atmosphere surrounding the American squad.

“This U.S. run so far has been magical. This decision may help us extend it, but suddenly the feeling is a little bit off.”

The segment quickly escalated from sports commentary into political psychoanalysis.

MSNBC contributor Pablo Torre argued that Trump’s involvement created what he called a “political trap for Democrats.”

“This is the first broadly popular thing that the president has done vis-a-vis alleged corruption that is helping people that don’t actually like him at all,” Torre said.

Torre also highlighted Balogun’s unique American citizenship story, noting that the striker was born in New York and therefore qualified for the U.S. national team through birthright citizenship.

“President Trump intervening for a birthright citizen to win against Belgium is itself just like this political briar patch,” Torre observed.

Soccer commentator Roger Bennett took the criticism even further, suggesting any future American success would be permanently stained by the controversy.

“There will be an asterisk against every achievement this team makes,” Bennett declared. “And that’s probably the most harrowing thing of all.”

Ironically, even Lemire acknowledged that Balogun’s original red card may have been unjustified.

“Yeah, the red card was bogus,” he admitted.

That admission raised an obvious question among critics of the segment: if the original ruling was wrong, why would correcting it somehow invalidate Team USA’s accomplishments?

For many fans, the focus remains simple, beat Belgium and keep advancing. For cable news, apparently, the real battle is against bad karma.

Only in modern America could the media watch Team USA get a favorable ruling and immediately conclude the real victim is the “vibe.”

Imagine explaining this to someone from 1986.

“Well, the Americans got one of their best players back for a huge World Cup match, but television commentators are worried about the spiritual energy surrounding the event.”

They’d think you were describing a failed yoga retreat.

What’s truly remarkable is that several of these commentators openly admit the original red card appears questionable. In other words, they agree the player may have been treated unfairly. But because Trump reportedly got involved, correcting the mistake suddenly becomes suspicious.

Meanwhile, normal Americans are sitting on their couches saying something revolutionary:

“Great. Our striker can play.”