​The USMNT advanced to the World Cup knockout stage by defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32 at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. The starting lineup was unchanged from the opening match, with Christian Pulisic fully fit and Mauricio Pochettino restoring his preferred XI after changes in the group stage. The Americans dominated possession against Bosnia and Herzegovina’s low block and created several half-chances, but they were slow to open the scoring. Folarin Balogun broke through just before halftime, capitalizing on a deflected Malik Tillman pass to slip the ball past the goalkeeper.
After the break, Bosnia and Herzegovina made a series of substitutions, including bringing on Esmir Bajraktarevic, and the US appeared to concede some possession while holding a one-goal lead. The tempo increased around the 20-minute mark of the second half when Balogun was shown a straight red for a foul on an opponent’s leg, twisting his ankle. Although the foul did not look serious in real time, VAR determined the offense, and Balogun would be sidelined for the rest of the match, leaving the United States to play a man down for the final 30 minutes. Despite Bosnia and Herzegovina enjoying more of the ball, they failed to carve out clear chances.
The US sealed the victory in the 82nd minute when Sergino Dest won a foul near the top of the box, and Malik Tillman curled a superb free-kick over the wall past the diving keeper. Just before stoppage time, Sebastian Berhalter, Ricardo Pepi, and Gio Reyna were brought on to help see out the result. Balogun will miss the Round of 16 due to suspension, but the US secured their first knockout-stage win in years thanks to impressive team play. The article invites readers to rate the standout performers and share who they believe deserved the Man of the Match.