US faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in knockout World Cup test

The U.S. Men’s National Team faced Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on July 1, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT. The U.S. was still chasing its first knockout-stage victory since 2002 after winning Group D with a 2-1-0 record and victories over Paraguay and Australia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina reached the knockout stage from Group B as a third-place finisher and one of the tournament’s best third-place teams. U.S. Soccer listed Bosnia and Herzegovina at 61st in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, up three spots from the previous official ranking. Mauricio Pochettino said the game should be treated like “Tomorrow is a Final,” and he had been preparing the squad for knockout pressure and penalty situations before the tournament began.

A win would send the U.S. to the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2002 World Cup. A loss would leave the U.S. still searching for that breakthrough and undercut the path Pochettino has been building since group play began.

Christian Pulisic was available and ready to go, giving the U.S. a proven attacking reference point for a match expected to be tight, physical and decided by small tactical swings. Pochettino described Bosnia and Herzegovina as “combative, aggressive and physical” but also organized. The U.S. had made a USMNT-record nine changes to the starting lineup in the final group match against Türkiye, a sign that Pochettino had kept multiple personnel options in reserve for exactly this kind of knockout assignment.

The teams had met three times before, but this was their first official competition meeting at a World Cup. The U.S. won the first matchup in 2013 in Sarajevo, rallying from 2-0 down to win 4-3 behind Jozy Altidore’s three goals and one assist, then played to a scoreless draw in January 2018 before winning 1-0 in Carson, California, later that year. Sergej Barbarez said he still saw the U.S. as the favorite because of its higher ranking, home-field advantage and stronger pedigree.