The US had their hands on their heads. Weston McKennie’s face betrayed a look of total disbelief. Mauricio Pochettino waved his hands towards the sky, incredulous.
Folarin Balogun had been sent off after a seemingly innocent collision with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Tarik Muharemović that saw the US striker land a foot on his opponent’s ankle. Just like that, the US’s high-flying World Cup journey had the feel of impending doom. The temperature had soared on a previously cool, sunny evening at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. And it wouldn’t fall until Malik Tillman had his say.
Tillman’s magnificently placed free-kick from the edge of the box put the finishing touch on a gritty 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, a win that propels the co-hosts into the last 16.
“So proud of all my players,” Pochettino said after the game.
USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina: World Cup 2026 last 32 – as it happened
Read more
Say that this was only the last 32. Bemoan the state of Fifa’s expansion to 48 teams. And certainly, complain all you like about the red card if you are a US fan. But the fact of the matter is this: the US men have won a World Cup knockout match. That alone vaults this team into a different conversation entirely; one that has not been dusted off since 2002, when Bruce Arena’s squad made the quarter-finals in the middle of the American night, when soccer in the US was in an entirely different state of popularity compared with today.
With this win, and the steely demeanor it took to achieve it, Pochettino’s team become a national conversation in the US. Exactly 12 years to the day since the US lost in extra time to Belgium at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Americans have set up another date at the same stage with the Red Devils. They will face them on Monday in Seattle, Washington.
On Wednesday, another sold-out, pro-US crowd cheered loudly and often, and they were greeted with bright moments to start the match, albeit without the early goal that had come in each of the US games so far in this tournament.
In the fourth minute, Christian Pulisic mirrored the early danger he had posed to Paraguay in the US’s opener. Cutting inside from the left, the Milan winger shifted past Bosnia and Herzegovina defenders before rifling a shot that was blocked by Stjepan Radeljić. It was the best moment on an otherwise quiet night for Pulisic.
“We had to dig deep for that one,” Pulisic said after the match. “It didn’t go exactly to plan with the red card, but that just shows what a good team we are. We said in the hydration break, you know, this is what it takes to be a really strong team. And, we were able to do it.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina forced an awkward save from Matt Freese 10 minutes in, resulting in a corner kick, and their young star Kerim Alajbegović attempted an audacious Olimpico Freese had to stretch, but it was kept out.
As the players and coaches gathered for the first-half hydration break, psychedelic rock band Rising Rhythm – live in the stadium – played a repeated riff. The US matched the band’s commitment to one idea for the rest of a physical first half. Sergiño Dest attempted runs behind the Bosnia and Herzegovina backline. McKennie continued to float wherever there happened to be space. And Balogun kept threatening.
The Monaco striker thought he had found the breakthrough after 32 minutes. Dest’s pressure as Bosnia and Herzegovina dawdled in possession freed the ball for McKennie, who found Balogun just as he shed his defender. An expert finish was applied and the crowd exploded, but the goal was soon called back. Balogun was a fraction offside, but the warning shot had been fired.
The breakthrough finally came just before the end of the half. Tim Ream was the genesis, getting a good jump on an underhit clearance. The defender could have settled the ball to himself, or cleared it back into the mixer, but instead opted for the cultured approach – a first-time knock to McKennie, who played a nifty dummy to Tillman. The ball was deflected and got caught under the foot of Muharemović, but Balogun was alert enough to adjust and finish once again. This time, it counted.
