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As Folarin Balogun walked off the field, it wasn’t hard to see how this could all crumble for the United States Men’s National Team.
The Americans, who led 1-0, were more talented than Bosnia-Herzegovina and were decisively outplaying them when Balogun picked up a questionable red card in the 64th minute of Wednesday’s World Cup game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
It’s the sort of bad break that can open the door for an underdog. Man advantage + momentum often equals upset.
And the prospect of losing like that would have been crushing for anybody. But the United States has so much riding on this team making a run.
This World Cup has been everything U.S. Soccer could have hoped for. The games have been exciting. The atmosphere has been outstanding and Americans have bonded with tourists from all over the world.
Rarely does an event with this much anticipation exceed expectations. But so far the 2026 World Cup in North America has overdelivered.
United States' Malik Tillman (17) celebrates with United States' Giovanni Reyna, right, after scoring on a free kick during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between the United States and Bosnia in Santa Clara, Calif., near San Francisco, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Still, the lynchpin for all of it has been the play of the Americans. People are more likely to watch the whole event when the U.S. is still alive. Every win going forward now only swells the ranks of the bandwagon.
There’s never been a World Cup knockout stage in the modern era where the Americans were the clear favorite before Wednesday. The U.S. was number 15 in the FIFA rankings compared to Bosnia at 61.
The Americans had to at least win this game. Their aspirations are much higher. But to avoid a huge underachievement, they needed to at least reach the round of 16.
But when Balogun was removed from the game, failing to do that was a legitimate risk. The call against him was a tough one. Not a wrong call necessarily, but still difficult to swallow. He did nothing malicious, but he did step on an opponent’s ankle in a way that caused injury.
In prior World Cups, that might have unraveled the Americans, who rarely fought their way out of a corner. But on Wednesday, after an initial adjustment, they climbed out of the hole and began pushing the ball back up the field despite being outmanned.
When Stjepan Radeljic obstructed Sergino Dest outside of the box, the Americans had an opportunity.
Malik Tillman has been one of the Americans’ best players in this tournament, but he hasn’t had a signature moment to put the spotlight on him. But he looked confident as he stepped up to take the free kick from just above the top of the box.
Tillman launched the sort of kick that fans have seen dozens of times in highlights from around the world, but rarely by an American player in a moment this big. Tillman served a rising ball over the leaping wall of five Bosnian players. The ball then hooked as it approached the goal.
Nikola Vasilj scrambled as he lunged to his right. The goalie got his fingers on the ball, but not enough to alter its trajectory. The ball sailed under the crossbar for a goal that put the U.S. ahead, 2-0.
At Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara and in front of TVs from sea to shining sea, American fans erupted. Not only was their team maintaining its lead while down a man, it was expanding it.
From there, the result was no longer in doubt. The Americans had done enough in this tournament to be trusted to hold a two-goal lead in the 82nd minute and they didn’t betray that belief.
In the group stage, the Americans lost star Christian Pulisic to injury at halftime of their opening win over Paraguay. They turned his absence into a positive, by proving they could win and play well without him.
On Wednesday, they passed another adversity test by succeeding both without Balogun and while down a man.
In both cases, they picked up confidence along the way that they’ll bring into Monday’s game against Belgium in Seattle.
Playing European opponents in the knockout stages usually ends badly for the U.S. But this time they’re at home, trying to prove that the 2026 World Cup is different. That this team is different and the result can be different.
More World Cup 2026 Coverage
- Spain looks to knock out Austria as World Cup round of 32 winds down
- World Cup: US survives red card, anxious moments to advance past Bosnia
- How to watch USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match today - Stream the World Cup for free
- US looks to win first World Cup knockout match in 24 years against Bosnia-Herzegovina
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