The USMNT beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 despite playing over 30 minutes a man down, advancing to the World Cup round of 16.
The USMNT did not have an easy ride through the round of 32 and had to win ugly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. After three World Cup matches of early, utter dominance, the USA had to completely change their tune to get through the knockout stage and win ugly.
After scoring in the first 11 minutes of every match thus far, Bosnia wouldn’t let them get out to that early lead, and it changed how the US played out the gate, with things a bit stifled for the Americans despite the edge in time of possession.
Striker Folarin Balogun gave the USMNT the lead before a shocking second-half red card put Mauricio Pochettino down to ten men and a real test of adversity to get through, one that will continue against Belgium in the round of 16 as they’ll be without Balogun through that match.
But rather than crumble, the US handled the pressure commendably, pushing things to a 2-0 win ahead of the next knockout stage.
To read more about the major victory for the USMNT and how they handled the moment, here is the full story from Football Roundtable writer Mason Way.
It wasn’t a pretty win, and Bosnia’s physicality clearly disrupted rhythm after a breeze through the group stage.
But it took grit and composure with everything that transpired, and the win was a valuable one for Pochettino and his men.
Men who were forced to defend with a man down for more than 30 minutes but never appeared rattled.
Pochettino praised his team for knowing the different between fighting and competing, and was proud of not just the victory, but the way that it was earned.
Now, the USMNT has shown that not only can they win with ease, but also with determination and ugliness should it be demanded.
The question is what tactical changes will be made to replace Balogun in Monday’s match against Belgium in Seattle.
