The United States men's national team faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup last 32 on Wednesday evening at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, with a place in the round of 16 on the line. The match comes after a series of upsets in the newly expanded knockout stage, where favorites like Germany and the Netherlands have already been tested.
Knockout Reality Sets In
Fifa expanded the field for the 2026 World Cup, introducing a last-32 round that has quickly proven to be unforgiving. Monday's matches showed that complacent play is punished, and the US enters as favorites but wary of the challenge. "It's a World Cup," said Christian Pulisic, who lost in the last 16 against the Netherlands four years ago. "You're never going to get the so-called favorite winning every single time. This is soccer. This is the way things go. You can defend all game and win in a penalty kick shootout, and that's the beauty of the game. We have to be ready for whatever's to come tomorrow."
Bosnia's Path to the Knockouts
Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced from Group B with a draw against co-hosts Canada and a win over Qatar, but suffered a 4-1 defeat to Switzerland. Switzerland's Johan Manzambi and Rubén Vargas exposed Bosnia's defense with technical play. The US, under Mauricio Pochettino, has creative players like Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, and Gio Reyna to break down a low block. "There's a lot of different ways," said Pulisic, who feels fully fit after a left calf injury. "I'm not going to give away our whole plan, but yeah, not just being one-dimensional, moving the ball, and trying to find ways to break through."
US Confidence and Defensive Focus
The US won Group D with dominant performances against Paraguay and Australia, resting starters against Turkey. "We're not going to go crazy if plan A doesn't work," said defender Chris Richards. "Mostly, we know that how we played so far throughout the tournament has been very successful, so we're going to try to stick to that." The defense takes pride in clean sheets, with Richards adding, "Everybody takes pride in clean sheets. For us defenders especially, we take pride in blocking shots and heading the ball away."
Edin Džeko Threat
Bosnia's attack is led by 40-year-old Edin Džeko, who debuted in the 2014 World Cup. He played 64 minutes in each start against Switzerland and Qatar, failing to score but contributing with hold-up play. Richards is ready for the battle: "I've played some experienced strikers in my career. He's a guy that I think might be Bosnia's figurehead. For me, it's making sure that I don't get kind of dragged into his games. Obviously, he's [been] at the top level for a reason for a long time, so it's making sure that I do what I do best, which is [to] frustrate people."
The US wing-backs Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest will also face young wingers Esmir Bajraktarević and Kerim Alajbegović. The match kicks off at 8 p.m. local time.
