US Men's National Team defeats Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to the World Cup Round of 16

The US Men's National Team (USMNT) kicked off their knockout phase of the World Cup yesterday as the team defeated Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0, advancing them to the Round of 16.

The red, white, and blue came into the match on the heels of a largely successful group stage that saw the team finish first in their group, posting a 2-0-1 record with resounding victories against Paraguay & Australia being offset slightly by a last-minute loss to Turkey in the team's most recent outing, per FIFA.com. 

Beyond the results, perhaps the most impactful outcome from the group stage was the performances the team displayed, showcasing the strides the US had made since the last World Cup cycle and solidifying itself to the broader public as a dangerous opponent moving forward.

Though favored against Bosnia & Herzegovina, who finished third in their group, some fans approached the game with restrained optimism, unsure of how the USMNT would respond after the confidence-shaking defeat to Turkey.

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Manager Mauricio Pochettino fielded essentially the same lineup that secured the squad's first two victories, led by a commanding midfield of Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, and Malik Tillman that has anchored the team thus far. The major boost was the return of talisman Christian Pulisic to the first-11 after the player had remained on limited minutes up to this point while nursing a left calf injury, according to Fox Sports.

The game started somewhat evenly, ebbing and flowing cautiously with both Bosnia & the US having early chances on net. A 31st-minute goal by American striker Florian Balogun was ruled offside; however, the player would not be deterred as he popped up again in the 45th minute to score, putting the US ahead going into half-time. 

The second half started strong for the US before Balogun once again found himself in the spotlight, this time for the wrong reasons. In the 64th minute, the forward collided with a Bosnian defender as they both chased down a loose ball. Initially ruled a common foul, the play was looked at on replay and controversially upgraded to a red card, which meant that the US would have to play a man down for the remaining half hour and would be without their leading goalscorer should they advance to the next round.

Bosnia used the advantage to put additional pressure on the US, but the defense held firm before a stunning 82nd-minute free-kick goal from breakout star Tillman effectively wrapped up the match.  

The US now advances to the Round of 16, where they will take on a Belgium squad that finished first in their group and beat Senegal with an astonishing comeback in their initial knockout round game. The Belgians, at least on paper, should prove a significantly more difficult opponent for the USMNT, coming into the tournament ranked 9th globally compared to the US’s 17th place, per FIFA’s World Rankings Coefficient.

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The teams actually squared off recently for a pre-World Cup friendly back in March that saw the Belgians trounce the US 5-2, albeit with slightly different lineups than either is likely to deploy for the upcoming match. The Belgians were also responsible for eliminating the US in the Round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup, a game that featured stars Kevin De Bruyne & Thibaut Courtois, who will once again be in action against the Americans, according to ESPN.

The match will be played this upcoming Monday, July 6, at 7 p.m. CT. A victory would mean the US would match its best-ever performance in the World Cup, with the team having only reached the quarterfinals once in the modern era, back in 2002, per ESPN. The winner of the match could potentially go on to face a powerhouse such as Spain or Portugal.