The United States men's national team is preparing for their World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, with captain Tim Ream expressing a surprising lack of pressure. Speaking to reporters on Monday before the team's departure to the Bay Area, Ream noted a different atmosphere compared to the 2022 World Cup.
Ream Downplays Pressure Ahead of Knockout Debut
“Would it be weird if I told you I don’t really feel too much pressure at this minute?” Ream quipped. “I just think there’s so much pressure that we put on ourselves. It feels very different this time around than 2022, I will say that – not because [this is] the round of 32 and that was the round of 16. I think we felt more pressure for that first game against Paraguay than anything, and that’s coming from ourselves, not from anything on the outside.”
The match marks the first competitive meeting between the two nations, following three friendlies. The most recent friendly, on 18 December 2021, featured only three players from Mauricio Pochettino’s current World Cup squad, while just one of Bosnia’s players from that day remains on their 26-man roster.
Historical Context and Recent Form
Despite the lack of previous competitive encounters, history looms over the US team. The Americans' defeat to Turkey in a dead-rubber group match extended their winless streak against UEFA opposition to 13 matches, with 10 consecutive losses since a victory over Northern Ireland in March 2021.
“With knockout rounds, anything can happen,” said Gio Reyna, who wore a backward snapback that highlighted his youth relative to Ream. “This team really does well with challenges.”
Reyna’s Return and Rustiness
Reyna, who has struggled for playing time at club and country levels, earned a start in the rotated lineup that closed the group stage. He played 76 minutes, his longest outing since a Borussia Dortmund match on 15 December 2024. However, rust was evident: Reyna struggled to find passing lanes into dangerous areas, and most of his forward passes failed to reach targets, leading to visible frustration, including slamming the ball into the turf at halftime.
If group play is a guide, creative players like Reyna will be essential to unlock a disciplined Bosnia defense. Bosnia managed only 20 passes into opponents’ boxes across three group games, the third-fewest among teams advancing to the knockouts. Pressure is expected to come from wide areas, with the youthful wing tandem of Esmir Bajraktarević (PSV) and Kerim Alajbegović (Bayer Leverkusen) providing dynamism and crossing threats to veteran striker Edin Džeko.
Expecting the Unexpected
Ream emphasized the need for adaptability, noting that Bosnia may alter their approach. “I don’t know that we completely expected Paraguay to be the way that they were in the first game,” he reflected. “There’s always things that get thrown at you, so I don’t know that we fully expect Bosnia to just be defensive. I think we have to be able to expect the unexpected, as we proved against Australia. You see similarities [with Paraguay and Australia], but then there’s also things that we’re going to have to solve that they throw at us in situations in game. That’s down to us as players to figure those puzzles out.”
The US will need to solve those puzzles quickly as they embark on their knockout journey, aiming to overcome historical struggles against European opposition.
