Bosnia out to crash American party

A confident United States side eyeing a deep World Cup run face a Bosnia and Herzegovina team determined to spoil the co-hosts’ party in tonight’s Round of 32 clash in Santa Clara.

Expectations around the US have rarely been higher. They cruised through Group D, beating Paraguay 4-1 and Australia 2-0 to qualify with a game to spare and win consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1930.

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That allowed them to rotate almost their entire XI against already-eliminated Turkiye, who snatched victory in the eighth minute of stoppage time in what was effectively a dead rubber.

The Americans remain heavy favourites, but captain Tim Ream warned against complacency.

“They’re a really tough team,” Ream said of Bosnia, who beat Italy in qualifying to deny the four-time champions a place at the tournament and finished third in a group behind Switzerland and Canada. “At the end of the day, the game is going to be about us and what we need to do to advance.”

The US know the weight of a home knockout tie. As hosts in 1994, they reached the last 16 before losing 1-0 to eventual champions Brazil in Stanford, despite playing against 10 men for much of the second half.

This time, the attack led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun will look to score first for a fourth straight World Cup match and ignite the home crowd.

Pulisic returned from a calf injury against Turkiye, but Balogun has been the standout. He scored twice against Paraguay and forced the own goal that put the US ahead against Australia. Another goal would see him join Bert Patenaude and Landon Donovan as the only US players to score at least three times in a single World Cup.

Bosnia, meanwhile, are built on defensive organisation and physicality. Captained by 40-year-old striker Edin Dzeko, widely regarded as the greatest player in the nation’s history, they also carry threats through Ermedin Demirovic, teenage winger Kerim Alajbegovic and goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

They also boast the tallest squad at the tournament, with an average height of 6ft 1in, and have scored three goals from corners. Ermin Mahmić, who has scored from the bench in both of his appearances with his only two shots, is pushing for a start.

With a deeper run in mind, Ream said the US have worked heavily on penalties and set-pieces.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work on penalties,” he said with a laugh. “That’s something we’ve been working on throughout the week, even before the tournament started.”

There is also an intriguing subplot around Bosnia winger Esmir Bajraktarević, who was born in the US in 2004 after his family fled the Bosnian War. He earned his first US cap in a 2024 friendly against Slovenia before switching allegiance to his parents’ nation of birth months later.

Highlights:

**USA have lost seven of their eight World Cup knockout-stage matches, conceding 22 goals.

**This is Bosnia’s first-ever appearance at the World Cup knockout stages.

**Bosnia have never kept a clean sheet in their six FIFA World Cup matches; no side has ever played more at the finals without a shutout.

**This will be the fourth meeting between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the former unbeaten in the first three (W2 D1), all in friendlies.

**USA won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time since 1930, beating Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0).

**USA's only previous home World Cup knockout match ended in a 1-0 loss to eventual champions Brazil in 1994.

**Bosnia have the tallest squad at the tournament, averaging 6ft 1in. The Dragons have scored three goals from corners, the most by a team at a World Cup since England scored four in 2018.