THE United States booked their place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup last 16 with a determined 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, overcoming the second-half dismissal of goalscorer Folarin Balogun to seal a memorable knockout win.
Balogun gave the co-hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time before being sent off after the interval for catching Bosnia defender Tarik Muharemović on the ankle following a challenge that sparked protests from the home side.
Reduced to 10 men, Mauricio Pochettino's side defended resolutely before Malik Tillman curled a superb late free-kick into the top corner to put the result beyond doubt.
"So proud of all my players," Pochettino said after the match.
The victory sends the United States into the round of 16, where they will face Belgium in Seattle on Monday, marking the country's first World Cup knockout victory since reaching the quarter-finals in 2002.
Christian Pulisic threatened early, forcing Bosnia to scramble clear after cutting inside from the left, while goalkeeper Matt Freese produced an important save to deny Kerim Alajbegović's ambitious effort directly from a corner.
Balogun thought he had opened the scoring midway through the first half after finishing from Weston McKennie's pass, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
The striker was not denied moments before the break. Tim Ream intercepted a clearance before McKennie cleverly dummied the ball into Balogun's path, allowing the Monaco forward to adjust quickly and fire home.
The match took a dramatic turn after the restart when Balogun was shown a red card after a collision with Muharemović, leaving the hosts to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men.
"We had to dig deep for that one," Pulisic said.
"It didn't go exactly to plan with the red card, but that just shows what a good team we are. We said during the hydration break that this is what it takes to be a really strong team, and we were able to do it."
Bosnia pushed for an equaliser but were unable to break down the disciplined American defence before Tillman settled the contest with a superbly struck free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.
The win extends the United States' impressive run on home soil and keeps alive hopes of matching or surpassing their best modern World Cup performance as they prepare for a last-16 showdown with Belgium. - July 2, 2026
