"It's not his fault, he's not the one to blame and that's what I told him," Garcia said.
The Belgian manager further minimized the impact of external factors on his tactical preparation.
"Regardless of the US starting line-up, what really mattered to us is our game plan," Garcia said.
He expressed confidence in how his players handled the situation leading up to the whistle.
"The group is very mature. I told them what matters the most is us," Garcia said.
Balogun, who started the match for the United States, distanced himself from the administrative process that allowed him to play after his previous red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"I accepted the decision when I was given the red card, and I accepted the decision when I was told I was allowed to play," Balogun said.
The Monaco striker emphasized that he played no role in the discussions between the US administration and football governing bodies.
"I didn't have any involvement in the process, and that's not something that has anything to do with me personally," Balogun said.
United States head coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed his frustration to the BBC regarding the administrative distractions surrounding the elimination.
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"It didn't affect our performance. It's not an excuse.
It wasn't our day," Pochettino said.
Pochettino questioned the personal backlash received during the build-up to the round-of-16 fixture.
"But in a personal way, what is the point to insult or receive a lot of bad messages?"
