USMNT Beats Bosnia 2-0, Advances to World Cup Round of 16

For the first time in nearly a quarter century, the US men’s national team has actually won a World Cup knockout game — and the way they did it made it even sweeter.

Playing in front of a packed, flag-waving crowd near San Francisco, the Americans beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 despite being down to ten men for the final half hour of the match. Folarin Balogun opened the scoring right before halftime, slotting home his third goal of the tournament after a lucky bounce fell into his path. It looked like a routine, comfortable win in the making — until Balogun picked up a red card less than twenty minutes into the second half following a video review that left his own coach fuming on the sideline.

That’s when things got tense. Bosnia sensed an opening and pushed forward, but the US defense held firm, and midfielder Malik Tillman delivered the moment that will get replayed for years — a curling free kick in the 82nd minute that snuck past the wall and off the goalkeeper’s glove to make it 2-0. Tillman later admitted he’d been picturing that exact kind of moment for a long time, and it showed in how calmly he stepped up to take it, despite reportedly cutting his foot on his own cleat earlier in the match.

The win means something bigger than just three points. It’s only the second knockout-round victory in US men’s soccer history, and the first since beating Mexico back in 2002. It also snaps a long losing streak against European opponents. Next up is Belgium on July 6 in Seattle — a team with painful history against the Americans, having eliminated them from the 2014 World Cup at this same stage.

The catch is that Balogun, the team’s leading scorer this tournament and arguably its most dangerous attacking weapon, will miss that match entirely due to his suspension. Coach Mauricio Pochettino has made no secret of his frustration with the red card decision, but with no appeal process available under FIFA rules, the team simply has to figure out how to replace his production on the fly.

Still, spirits are high. This US squad has already given fans more reasons to believe than they’ve had in years, and with a home continent behind them and a genuine shot at a deep run, the Belgium match is shaping up to be one of the biggest games American soccer has seen in a long time.