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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The U.S. men’s national soccer team charged into the World Cup’s round of 16 by beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday, but suffered a devastating blow when star striker Folarin Balogun was shown a red card.
In a tight, tense knockout match, with tens of millions of people watching across America, Balogun starred yet again. He put the U.S. ahead with a goal on the brink of halftime, and ignited a star-spangled crowd that had grown agitated as the game droned on at 0-0.
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Then, in the second half, he was sent off after a video review showed that he’d stomped on the ankle of Bosnia’s Tarik Muharemovic while challenging for a ball.
Without Balogun, and reduced to 10 men for the last half-hour of the game, the U.S. held on for a cathartic victory. Malik Tillman’s superb free kick in the 82nd minute sealed it. It was just the second men’s World Cup knockout-round win in U.S. history. It’s the first since 2002, and the first in primetime, and the first to be greeted by gleeful celebrations at watch parties big and small all across the country.
But it sets up an even bigger occasion, a round-of-16 showdown with Belgium on Monday. And Balogun, the team’s leading scorer, will miss that game while serving his red-card suspension.
Still, it is a moment to savor for a program that has now won three games at a single World Cup for the first time ever. It snapped a yearslong losing streak against European opponents. Players showed character and resilience as they held off a physical Bosnia team, even while down a man.
Our writers on the scene break down the key talking points:
The game changed completely in the second half when Balogun, who to that moment had been the best player for the U.S., was red carded in the 64th minute after video review of a foul on Tarik Muharemovic.
As the ball was played up the left sideline from Antonee Robinson in the 61st minute, Balogun reached out and tried to get his body in position. As he did so, he landed on the back of the leg of Muharemovic, raking down the calf of the defender and landing on his ankle.
It did not look like an intentional foul, but rather the forward landing awkwardly. The slow motion replay, however, made it look like a harsh tackle. And there was no doubt that Balogun made rough contact on the defender.
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After looking at the foul, referee Raphael Claus opted to give the red card, immediately joining Hugh Dallas (vs. Germany, 2002) and Koman Koulibaly (vs. Slovenia, 2010) in the unofficial Infamous USMNT World Cup Referee Hall of Fame.
Was this worthy of a red card? 🟥 pic.twitter.com/WfrIxMRNMD
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026
Folarin Balogun is shown a red card and the US is down to 10 players. pic.twitter.com/mLxzhbGD8N
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026
Balogun scored the opening goal for the U.S. and was once again a constant dangerous presence for the Americans through the first hour of the game.
Whereas the U.S. wasted chances four years ago, Balogun has been a consistent danger man in this World Cup. That continued into the knockout round. The Monaco striker had a goal called back for offside in the 31st minute, but then gave the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 45th with a neat left-footed finish.
Balogun broke out LeBron James’ “Silencer” celebration, which earned a tweet from the NBA legend.
LFG!!!!!! THE 🤫 HAS 🛬 at the World Cup! Helluva goal there Young 🤴🏾! 🫡. GO 🇺🇸 https://t.co/8wb2t2F6oq
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 2, 2026
The U.S. heavily recruited Balogun coming out of the Qatar tournament, with fans aiding in that chase with their all-out press on social media. Balogun has proven to be worth it, producing across his national team career.
The New York-born, London-raised striker now has three goals in this World Cup, tied for second-most with Landon Donovan (2010) in a single tournament. Bert Patenaude (1930) holds the USMNT record with four, with his hat trick against Paraguay following a goal against Belgium.
Balogun now, however, will miss the round-of-16 game against Belgium, and Pochettino will have to look to either Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright to lead the forward line. – Paul Tenorio
The U.S. entered Wednesday staring at the ominous face of history. It had lost all but one of the eight World Cup knockout matches it had ever played. It had also lost its last 10 games against European opponents, and hadn’t beaten one in five years. Even though the U.S. was heavily favored, the stats contextualized the weight of the moment.
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But this is a team fueled by belief, by dreams, by wanting to “touch the moon,” as head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been saying. History isn’t a barrier. Unprecedented is anything but impossible.
The U.S. played slick and steady soccer, and slowly bent the game to its liking. For the first time ever, it bossed a World Cup knockout match.
The USMNT’s lone previous knockout-round win occurred in the middle of the night back in 2002. It concluded around 4:30 a.m. ET. This one occurred with all of mainstream America watching.
It is, therefore, a night that players and fans will never forget, even if it was only Bosnia, one of the lowest-ranked teams in the knockout round; and even if it was only the round of 32, with bigger and hopefully better things to come. – Henry Bushnell
Malik Tillman’s stunning free kick will live on for a long time in USMNT lore.
Down a man, with the clock ticking down and Bosnia beginning to pile on some pressure, the U.S. was awarded a free kick on the edge of the box. Christian Pulisic wanted to take it but ultimately left Tillman and left footed Antonee Robinson standing over the ball.
There was no deception, no clever routine. Tillman put the ball down, took his strides back. Then he whipped his free kick over the wall and into the back of the net for a moment of sheer euphoria.
MALIK TILLMAN FREE KICK GOLAZO AND THE @USMNT IS UP 2-0 🇺🇸
Advantage doubled even down to 10 men. pic.twitter.com/HskiCro7xD
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026
There’s no doubt about it: Tillman’s strike cemented the U.S.’s place in the round of 16. Without it, and considering how the match had been tilting, who knows where things would have ended up?
It’s a fitting man to seal the game, as Tillman’s creativity and motor were crucial for the U.S. — and not just against Bosnia; he’s been great the whole tournament. – Tom Bogert
About 800 miles up the Pacific coast, and four hours earlier on Wednesday, Belgium stunned Senegal with a comeback from 2-0 down to reach the round of 16 and set up a rematch with the USMNT.
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It’s a rematch of the famous round-of-16 game in 2014, when, 12 years ago to the day, Belgium beat the U.S. 2-1 in extra time.
It’s also a rematch of a friendly this past March, when Belgium ran away from the U.S. in the second half and won 5-2.
So, at first glance, on paper, it’s a difficult matchup for the Americans. In that friendly, they succumbed to some of the same attacking quality that propelled Belgium’s comeback on Wednesday. That quality will be the worry when the teams meet again next Monday, July 6, in Seattle (5 p.m. PT, 8 p.m. ET).
The U.S. can absolutely play with Belgium between the penalty boxes, as it did throughout the first half in March. But this group of U.S. players has struggled to match the ruthless, clinical finishing that sets apart top European teams. The USMNT hasn’t beaten one of those teams in more than a decade. And doing so without the suspended Balogun only ramps up the difficulty.
But the U.S. will also have its advantages. For significant chunks of all four of its games at this World Cup, Belgium has looked old and stagnant. The U.S., at the other end of the spectrum, overwhelmed Paraguay and Australia with its speed of play and pressing. The Americans would be more athletic than Belgium at nearly every position on the field (except Jeremy Doku’s), and could likely seize control of the game.
So, all in all, the U.S. could yet win a second consecutive knockout match, something it’s never done at the men’s World Cup. – Henry Bushnell
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