The United States men's national team, brimming with confidence after securing early qualification for the knockout rounds, will face a Bosnia and Herzegovina side determined to spoil the co-hosts' party in a last-32 clash in Santa Clara on Wednesday.
US Dominance in Group Stage
The U.S. won their opening two group-stage matches to secure a spot in the round of 16. They will look to rebound from a last-gasp defeat by Turkey in a dead rubber in Los Angeles last week when they head north to the Bay Area. The Americans are heavy favorites, but captain Tim Ream said they would not take Bosnia lightly.
Bosnia beat Italy in qualifying to deny the four-time champions a place at the tournament. They finished third in a group behind Switzerland and Canada. “They’re a difficult team to play against, and they’re in the tournament for a reason,” Ream told reporters on Monday. “They went through a little bit of a conflict to get there and they’re just a really tough team. At the end of the day, the game is going to be about us and what we’re prepared to do and what need to do to advance.”
Expect the Unexpected
Bosnia, nicknamed the Dragons, have built their campaign on defensive organization, but Ream said the U.S. were preparing for all scenarios. “I don’t know that we really expect Bosnia to just be defensive. We have to expect the unexpected,” he said.
The U.S. will be seeking to score first for a fourth consecutive World Cup match, hoping to ignite a home crowd behind an attack led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun.
Key Players and Set-Piece Focus
Bosnia are captained by 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, widely regarded as the greatest player in the nation’s history, and carry threats through physical forward Ermedin Demirovic and teenage winger Kerim Alajbegovic. Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj has been another key figure for Bosnia, playing an important role in qualifying and in penalty shootouts.
Ream said the U.S. had placed particular emphasis on spot-kicks and set-pieces. “We’ve been doing a lot of work on penalties. I won’t go into that,” he said with a laugh. “That’s something that we’ve been working on throughout the week together, even before the tournament started, so that’s taken care of really. We know that, especially in the knockouts, one mistake on a set play can send you home. So we’re fully focused on all aspects and all phases of the game.”
