Steely USA overcome Bosnia and Herzegovina and controversial red to reach World Cup last 16
The USA 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 Muharemovic that saw the 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 that propels the co-hosts into the last 16. “So proud of all my players,” Pochettino said after the game
A goal, a red and a LeBron James shout: Folarin Balogun gets the spotlight in US’s wild World Cup win
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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 USA 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 USA 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 Radeljic. 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 when their young star Kerim Alajbegovic 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 their rivals’ 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 Muharemovic, but Balogun was alert enough to adjust and finish once again. This time, it counted
Balogun could have had a second soon afterwards, again thanks to some nice combination play when McKennie found Dest with a perfectly timed loft over the top of the defense. Dest’s header across goal was met by Balogun, but the ball kissed the top of the crossbar and went out of play
The US defense may have thought they’d been handed a reprieve when Edin Dzeko was forced off with an injury after 50 minutes. But they soon had bigger problems to worry about
In the 64th minute, Balogun and Muharemovic came together chasing a loose ball, with the striker landing hard on the defender’s ankle. The referee, Raphael Claus, went to the monitor for a video review, and sent off Balogun
From there, it was all hands on deck for the US defense, with Bosnia and Herzegovina showing much more verve in the wake of their numerical advantage. But the US never stopped pressuring, and it paid off as Dest earned a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area. Tillman stepped up and hit a beautiful dipping effort that went over the wall, under the crossbar, and gave his team a palpable relief
Incredibly, Belgium will be the fourth opponent out of five at this World Cup whom the US have played in a friendly within the last year. That previous match-up leaves little room for confidence – a 5-2 loss involving many (but not all) of the players who make up this squad. But after this hard-earned win, there is the sense that these players could maybe, quite possibly, go as far as they want
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