The United States knocked out Bosnia & Herzegovina in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday night in San Francisco with a 2-0 victory. This win was only the second-ever World Cup knockout-stage win for the United States in history.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
The USMNT finished in first place in the Group D standings on 6 points after back-to -back wins over Paraguay and Australia. The USMNT’s last time out was a 3-2 loss to Turkey to finish Group D play.
Bosnia & Herzegovina finished 3rd in the Group B standings on 4 points. They began with a draw with Canada, then a 4-1 loss to Switzerland, and finished group play with a 3-1 win over Qatar.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Unlike its previous three matches, the United States was unable to strike early.
For the first 20 minutes, both sides struggled to assert themselves in the match. Bosnia held a slight edge in possession and created the better opportunities. A pair of dangerous corner kicks nearly produced the opener, but the U.S. back line and goalkeeper Matt Freese stood tall to keep the match scoreless.
The Americans thought they had broken through in the 31st minute when Folarin Balogun found the back of the net, but the goal was waved off after he was ruled offside.
The breakthrough finally came just before halftime.
In the 44th minute, team captain Tim Ream intercepted a Bosnian goal kick and quickly played the ball forward to Malik Tillman. Tillman slipped a pass to Balogun, who briefly lost possession before winning it back and calmly finishing through the goalkeeper’s legs to give the United States a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute.
Balogun was shown a red card after a challenge, forcing the United States to play the final 26 minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men. The dismissal also means Balogun will miss the next round through suspension.
Bosnia immediately seized the momentum, pinning the U.S. deep in its own half.
Christian Pulisic appeared to give the Americans a much-needed cushion in the 78th minute, but his goal was also ruled out for offside.
Just minutes later, the insurance goal finally arrived.
After Sergiño Dest drew a free kick just outside the 18, Tillman stepped up and curled a brilliant strike into the upper-left corner, doubling the U.S. advantage and silencing Bosnia’s comeback hopes.
Bosnia threw everything forward in the closing minutes, but the American defense never broke. Despite playing with 10 men for nearly half an hour, the United States delivered its strongest defensive performance of the tournament to punch its ticket to the Round of 16.
BIG NUMBER: 10
After Balogun’s red card in the 64th minute, the United States was forced to play the remainder of the match with 10 men. Bosnia controlled much of the possession after the dismissal, but the U.S. defense responded with its best performance of the World Cup, preserving the victory under constant pressure.
MAN OF THE MATCH: TIM REAM
The veteran captain was outstanding from start to finish. Ream helped create the opening goal, won every one of his one-on-one duels, and recorded six crucial clearances as he anchored a resilient defensive effort that carried the United States into the Round of 16.
UP NEXT: The USMNT moves to the Round of 16 to face Belgium on Monday, July 6th at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington at 7 PM.
