US face Bosnia with World Cup momentum to restore
The co-hosts enter the round of 32 after a group-stage stumble against Turkiye and a sharper test of their knockout credentials.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The United States meet Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup round of 32 in Santa Clara on Wednesday, with a chance to steady a campaign that lost some force in a 3-2 defeat to Turkiye. Al Jazeera reported that the co-hosts had already secured first place in Group D after opening wins over Paraguay and Australia, raising expectations before the knockout phase.
The fast start changed some outside assessments of the US team. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, speaking on a recent television broadcast, said after those first two wins: “If you didn’t believe before, I will repeat: start believing.”
The loss to Turkiye in Inglewood, California, checked that optimism but did not alter the team’s public ambition. US defender Mark McKenzie told Al Jazeera that the next round offered “a clean slate” and said the squad still wanted to “win the whole thing,” while acknowledging that more work was needed.
Pochettino’s reshaped team
Al Jazeera reported that coach Mauricio Pochettino has rebuilt the side since last year, when the US were on a four-game losing run that included a 2-1 defeat to Turkiye in East Hartford, Connecticut. Only four players from that starting lineup remain in the current first-choice XI: goalkeeper Matt Freese, defenders Alex Freeman and Chris Richards, and midfielder Malik Tillman.
Pochettino has preferred a 4-2-3-1 shape, according to Al Jazeera, but has also used a three-defender structure that gives Alex Freeman and Antonee Robinson license to support wide attacks involving Christian Pulisic and Sergino Dest. Robinson returned after injury issues a year ago and entered the tournament following a strong Premier League season with Fulham.
The current spine, as described by Al Jazeera, includes Tim Ream and Richards in central defence, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie with Tillman in midfield, and Folarin Balogun up front, with Pulisic and Dest wide or Ricardo Pepi involved in the attack.
High press brings rewards and risks
Pochettino has moved the US away from slower buildup play and toward a pressing plan from the opening whistle, Al Jazeera reported. The team has at times deliberately conceded throw-ins to trap opponents near the touchline, an idea the report said Pochettino took from his time at Paris Saint-Germain.
That approach has produced energy and pressure, but Al Jazeera also noted its risk. Against Paraguay, US players were beaten through the legs more than once, though nearby teammates often recovered the play. Against Turkiye, Arda Guler beat Pulisic in the sequence that led to Kaan Ayhan’s winning goal.
The Bosnia match also comes against a broader record that remains difficult for the US. Al Jazeera reported that the Americans have three wins, 15 losses and seven draws against European teams, with only one victory since 1950.
Al Jazeera pointed to the 2002 US team as a reference point after it reached the quarterfinals following group-stage results against Portugal, South Korea and Poland, then a 2-0 win over Mexico before a 1-0 loss to Germany. Former US goalkeeper Tim Howard offered a more cautious view on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, saying the US would need its greatest game four times in a row to win the tournament.
For now, Bosnia provide the next measure. The US have home support, a settled core and a clear style, but Al Jazeera’s account of the Turkiye defeat underlined that pressing alone may not be enough against stronger opponents.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.