SANTA CLARA, CA — The U.S. men’s national team turned in a gritty performance with 10 men, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the World Cup round of 32 on Wednesday, July 1.
Folarin Balogun opened the scoring just before halftime with his third goal of the tournament, but he would be involved in the game’s most contentious moment in the 64th minute.
Balogun was shown a straight red card after a VAR review for stepping on the ankle of Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemović.
As the USMNT dropped back looking to hold onto its one-goal advantage, Malik Tillman stepped up with a massive free kick in the 82nd minute to provide an insurance goal.
The USMNT will now move on to face Belgium in the round of 16 in Seattle on Monday, July 6.
There is still time for Bosnia here as they get a full 10 minutes of stoppage time to work with.
The first USA subs of the game comes late, as Berhalter and Pepi replace Pulisic and Dest.
What a free kick by Tillman!! He gets it up and over the wall from close range to make it 2-0. Vasilj got fingertips to it but couldn’t keep it out. Huge insurance goal for the 10-man USA.
Pulisic has the ball in the net but he is well offside. Good passing move for the USMNT leading up to the finish.
The U.S. isn’t used to playing out of a low block but it appears they will try to sit back and weather the storm for the next 20 minutes. They may need Freese to come up big once or twice.
The break comes at a good time for the USMNT, which needs to regroup here down to 10 men. This will be a huge challenge for the next 25 minutes.
The U.S. striker has been sent off! Huge moment in the game here in the 64th minute.
It may have been inadvertent but Balogun just put his foot right on top of Muharemović’s ankle after the Bosnian defender cleared the ball. Now there is a VAR review and the USA striker could be off here.
Ream does so well to cut out a dangerous cross from the left after some Bosnian possession.
Esmir Bajraktarević was born and raised in Wisconsin, and even made an appearance for the USMNT before switching allegiances to the birthplace of his parents. Read about the winger right here.
It appears Dzeko is done for the day as he comes off with a muscle injury. It is actually now a triple change as Gigovic and Sunjic are also out.
Bajraktarević, Tahirovic and Mamic come in.
We are back for the second half! No changes for either side.
The U.S. got a deserved goal just before the break through Balogun, but it could have been more. Overall it was a good performance for the U.S. but they’ll want another goal or two to make it comfortable in the second half.
Great passing move by the U.S. sees Dest head a lofted ball down from the right. Balogun can’t quite control the short hop and his looping shot just hits the bar and goes over. That was a real chance.
This is a concern for the USA, as Adams is down after colliding with Dzeko. After getting treatment for several minutes, he’s able to walk off the field and comes back shortly.
The U.S. goes up just before halftime! Tillman’s pass is cut off but it deflects into the path of Balogun. His low shot is grazed by Vasilj, but the keeper can’t keep it out.
Great backheel by Tillman in the box finds Pulisic, but his cross from close range is overhit. If he played it low, Balogun could have been there for a tap-in.
Bosnia’s defense has bent but hasn’t broken. They’ll be happy to get through the next 10 minutes without giving up a goal.
Balogun does so well to beat his defender in the box and hit a left-footed shot inside the near post. But replays show he was just offside after a Bosnia turnover. Great ball in by McKennie though.
Balogun goes down in the box after Dedic gives him a kick on the ankle. The striker was contacted but did go down easily. Referee waves play on.
For the first time at this World Cup, the USA enters the hydration break scoreless.
The U.S. gets a chance as Freeman finds McKennie behind the defense. His cross is punched out by Bosnian keeper Vasilj, with Robinson heading the rebound over and crashing into the keeper.
After getting treatment, Vasilj is able to continue.
Not a bad look from Balogun, who is found by Robinson from the right, but the striker’s effort is way off target.
Bosnia catches the U.S. napping off a long goal kick and gets a shot on goal after Dzeko dishes it off. Fairly comfortable save for Freese.
Then on the ensuing corner, Freese almost gets beat on an Olimpico but clears it off his line.
A couple early corners for the U.S. as it has already taken control of this one
The U.S. has some early possession and we see Bosnia playing with a flat defensive five, asking the U.S. to break them down.
We are underway in the World Cup round of 32!
The crowd is mostly filled in here as players get set to enter the field.
Hopefully we won’t be talking much about these guys, but we should know them anyway:
We now know that the U.S. will be facing Belgium in Seattle on Monday, July 7 if it wins tonight.
Belgium was down two goals late, but staged an epic comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 in extra time in the round of 32.
The crowd is filing in as we are now an hour until kickoff. It will be a strong pro-USA crowd but a decent contingent of Bosnia fans are behind one of the goals.
The U.S. won’t have Cristian Roldan or Mark McKenzie available off the bench today. McKenzie (foot) and Roldan (quad) still have not returned to full training.
USMNT XI vs Bosnia and Herzegovina: Freese; A. Robinson, Ream, Richards, Freeman, Dest; McKennie, Adams, Tillman; Pulisic, Balogun
Bosnia and Herzegovina XI vs USA: Vasilj; Dedic, Radeljic, Katic, Muharemovic, Kolasinac; Gigovic, Sunjic; Alajbegovic, Demirovic, Dzeko.
The match is now closing in at Levi’s Stadium. Here is how our experts see it going.
Tonight’s game will take place at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, home to the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.
The venue has been renamed as San Francisco Bay Area Stadium for the World Cup.
After two late goals, Belgium tied its match against Senegal 2-2. The round of 32 tied, whose winner will face the USA-Bosnia winner, is now in extra time. Follow along LIVE.
The matchup kicks off at 8:00 PM ET.
Who will start this massive match for the USMNT? Check out our projected lineup here.
The U.S. men have played at eight World Cup knockout games, and has come away with defeat seven times.
Read the full painful history here.
The USMNT will know before kickoff who it will face in the round of 16 if it wins. Belgium and Senegal are underway in Seattle. Follow along LIVE.
Seth Vertelney: USA 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
The U.S. has shown the ability to break down deep-lying opponents at this tournament, which is a valuable skill to have against another team that will likely sit back and defend for its life.
Jon Arnold: USA 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
There may be some nervous moments early, but once the U.S. is able to get through the floodgates can open.
Jesse Yomtov: USA 1 – 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina (AET)
Say what you will but that last-minute loss to end the group was a gut punch and the USA wlil struggle to break down Bosnia.
Victoria Hernandez: United States 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Christian Pulisic is back and the United States will ride the wave of winning the group stage right through to the round of 16.
The USMNT vs. Bosnia game will kick off at 5 p.m. PT.
The round of 32 match is being held at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The United States has never won the World Cup and its best-ever finish was third place in 1930, the inaugural edition of the tournament.
The USMNT vs Bosnia game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Central Time.
Explore the updated bracket with USA TODAY Sports here.
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
Information in this article was imported automatically into a template written and reviewed by a USA TODAY Sports editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. While we do our utmost to offer good advice and information we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of gambling. We do our best to make sure all the information that we provide on this site is correct. However, from time to time mistakes will be made and we will not be held liable. Please check any stats or information if you are unsure how accurate they are. No guarantees are made with regards to results or financial gain. All forms of betting carry financial risk and it is up to the individual to make bets with or without the assistance of information provided on this site and we cannot be held responsible for any loss that may be incurred as a result of following the betting tips provided on this site. Past performances do not guarantee success in the future and betting odds fluctuate from one minute to the next. The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside. It is your sole responsibility to act in accordance with your local laws.
Prediction Markets: Certain prediction markets are event contracts regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or other applicable regulatory authorities and are legally distinct from traditional gambling and sports betting. Eligibility requirements to participate in prediction markets differ from those for sports betting and gambling — you may be required to be 18 or older (or such other age as the applicable platform requires) and to satisfy other eligibility criteria established by the relevant platform and governing law. Prediction market trading involves financial risk and may not be available in all jurisdictions. The legal and regulatory status of prediction markets varies by jurisdiction and by platform. It is your sole responsibility to confirm that participation is lawful where you reside and to comply with all applicable laws and platform terms.
Leave a Reply