The United States Men's National Team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup round of 32 match on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. The winner advances to the round of 16 to meet Belgium or Senegal on July 6 in Seattle. The US has not won a World Cup knockout match since 2002 and has not defeated a European side in any competition in over five years.
Team Confidence Despite Recent Loss
US captain Tim Ream said the team is not focused on past history. “Honestly, I don’t even think any of us are thinking about it,” Ream said. “I think it’s just about putting in good performances. If we do everything that we’ve done up to this point we’re going to put ourselves in the best possible position to move on in the tournament.” The US lost 3-2 to Turkiye on June 25, but that match was meaningless as the Americans had already clinched first place in Group D. Nearly all starters from the first two matches rested, and the lineup is expected to return to form on Wednesday.
Key Players and Rankings
Star Christian Pulisic (calf) could return to the starting lineup. He left the first match at halftime, missed the second game, and played 33 minutes as a substitute against Turkiye. Pulisic said he’s ready to play 90 minutes or 120 if needed. “I’m feeling good this week, and I’m definitely ready to go for tomorrow,” Pulisic told reporters Tuesday. The FIFA rankings list the US at No. 15 and Bosnia and Herzegovina at No. 61. Bosnia and Herzegovina finished third in Group B and employ a defensive-minded philosophy similar to the first two US opponents, which resulted in a 4-1 win over Paraguay and a 2-0 victory over Australia for the Americans.
Bosnia's Physical Approach
Midfielder Sergino Dest emphasized the knockout nature of the match. “It’s a knockout round and if you want to win this trophy, the World Cup, you have to beat everyone and be able to beat everyone, from Europe or Africa it doesn’t matter,” Dest said. “We just want to win.” Ream said the key is to move the ball quickly and unbalance the opponent's shape. “Just move the ball quick as you possibly can side to side, getting runs in behind and just really unbalancing their shape,” Ream said. “It sounds simple and that’s really the key to any team you play, no matter if they’re playing the low block, medium block, high press, whatever you want to call it.” Bosnia and Herzegovina led all teams through the group stages with 46 fouls, highlighting their physicality. Coach Sergej Barbarez said, “We will try to create problems and of course win the game.”
Familiar Faces
The matchup is intriguing for Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder Esmir Bajraktarevic, 21, who is from Appleton, Wisconsin. He played one match for the US in a friendly against Slovenia in January 2024 before switching countries later that year using dual citizenship. He scored the clinching penalty in the shootout that led Bosnia and Herzegovina to defeat Italy and qualify for the World Cup. Bajraktarevic started the first and third World Cup matches and came off the bench in the second. He will see familiar faces on the opposing team because Dest and Ricardo Pepi are his teammates at Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven. “That will be great for me,” Bajraktarevic said. “It doesn’t really matter who we play next. Obviously, we are ready for everything.”
Historical Context
The last time the US reached the round of 16 was 2002, when they went directly there from the group stage under the 32-team format. They defeated Mexico 2-0 before losing 1-0 to Germany in the quarterfinals. This year is the first World Cup with 48 teams, prompting an extra round. The US is winless in 13 matches (two ties) against a European side since a 2-1 win over Northern Ireland on March 28, 2021. They have lost 10 straight, beginning with a 3-1 setback to the Netherlands in the round of 16 in 2022. US forward Folarin Balogun, who scored twice against Paraguay, said, “It’s crunch time, it’s knockout football. You lose, you go home, so this is the business end and this is the stage where, in my opinion, the big players step forward and the big players carry the pressure and make things happen.”
