Resilient USA down Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 despite controversial Balogun red card to reach first World Cup knockouts in 24 years
The American players stood in stunned disbelief, hands on heads. Weston McKennie's face said it all – pure, unadulterated shock. Mauricio Pochettino threw his hands skyward, unable to comprehend what he'd just seen.
Folarin Balogun had been shown a straight red card for what looked like an accidental coming-together with Bosnia's Tarik Muharemović, the US striker's boot catching the defender's ankle as they challenged for a loose ball. In that instant, America's World Cup dream looked to be crumbling. The temperature inside Levi's Stadium had risen along with the tension on what had been a pleasant Bay Area evening. It would take a moment of magic from Malik Tillman to finally cool things down.
Tillman's stunning, curling free-kick from the edge of the area sealed a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, booking the co-hosts' place in the World Cup round of 16.
"I'm so incredibly proud of every single one of my players," Pochettino told reporters after the final whistle.
Critics will point out this is only the round of 32, bemoan FIFA's expansion to 48 teams, and American fans will rightfully question the red card decision. But none of that changes the facts: the United States men's national team has won a World Cup knockout match. That achievement alone elevates this group into rare air – territory not occupied since 2002, when Bruce Arena's side made the quarter-finals back when soccer was still a niche sport in this country.
This gutsy victory, achieved with the kind of steel and resolve that wins tournaments, has turned Pochettino's team into a national story. It comes exactly 12 years to the day since the US fell to Belgium in extra time at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and now they have a rematch with the Red Devils to look forward to on Monday in Seattle.
Wednesday night brought another capacity crowd, fully behind the home side and creating a cauldron of noise. The Americans started brightly enough, though they couldn't find the early goal that had characterized their previous matches in the tournament.
Christian Pulisic nearly replicated his bright start against Paraguay in the tournament opener, cutting in from the left flank after four minutes and gliding past defenders before seeing his goalbound shot blocked by Stjepan Radeljić. It was about as good as it got for Pulisic on an otherwise quiet evening for the Milan winger.
"We had to dig so deep out there," Pulisic admitted afterwards. "The red card obviously changed things, but that's the mark of a good team – being able to adapt when things go against you. We talked about it at the hydration break, that this is what it takes to compete at this level, and we found a way to get it done."
Bosnia and Herzegovina asked questions of their own, forcing Matt Freese into an uncomfortable save after 10 minutes that resulted in a corner. Young star Kerim Alajbegović nearly caught everyone out with an audacious Olimpico attempt that Freese did well to tip over.
As players took on fluids during the first hydration break, psychedelic rock band Rising Rhythm performed live in the stadium, cranking out a relentless riff. The US matched that energy for the rest of a physical first half, with Sergiño Dest making dangerous runs in behind the Bosnian defense, McKennie popping up in pockets of space all over the pitch, and Balogun causing constant problems up front.
The Monaco striker thought he'd broken the deadlock in the 32nd minute after Dest's high press won the ball back high up the pitch. McKennie picked out Balogun, who'd peeled off his defender, and he finished expertly to send the crowd into raptures – only for the offside flag to cut the celebrations short. It was a warning sign, however, that Bosnia didn't heed.
The opening goal finally arrived on the stroke of halftime. Tim Ream started the move, reading an underhit clearance perfectly. Rather than taking a touch or lashing it clear, the veteran defender showed remarkable composure to cushion a first-time pass into McKennie's path. McKennie produced a clever dummy that let the ball run to Tillman, and after a deflection took it away from Muharemović, Balogun pounced to slot home. This time the goal stood.
Balogun nearly doubled his tally shortly after the break, again the beneficiary of some slick build-up play as McKennie clipped a perfectly weighted ball over the top for Dest, whose headed cutback found the striker. This time, however, his effort cannoned back off the crossbar.
American fans might have thought they'd caught a break when legendary striker Edin Džeko was forced off injured just after the hour mark. Instead, things went from bad to worse.
In the 64th minute, Balogun and Muharemović contested a 50-50 ball, with the American coming down heavily on the defender's ankle. Referee Raphael Claus reviewed the incident on the monitor and produced a red card, reducing the US to 10 men for the final 25 minutes.
From that moment on it was backs-to-the-wall stuff for the Americans, as Bosnia poured forward sensing an equalizer, buoyed by their man advantage. But the US never stopped working, never stopped pressing, and their resilience was rewarded when Dest won a free-kick right on the edge of the penalty area.
Tillman stepped up and delivered a sublime, dipping strike that cleared the wall, nestled under the crossbar, and sent the stadium into pure delirium while finally allowing everyone connected with US Soccer to breathe again.
Remarkably, Belgium will be the fourth team out of five the US have faced at this World Cup that they also played in a friendly over the past year. That previous meeting doesn't exactly inspire confidence – a 5-2 thrashing in a game that featured many of these same players.
But after showing this kind of fight and character under adversity, there's a growing belief that this group might just have what it takes to go further than anyone expected.
