What we covered here
• The USA defeats Bosnia and Herzegovina: It’s a historic win for the United States as they down the Bosnians 2-0 to advance to the Round of 16, their first knockout win in the World Cup since 2002.
• Balogun and Tillman do it for the USA: Folarin Balogun’s shot and a freekick from Malik Tillman have given the USA a 2-0 lead late in the second half. They’ll play Belgium in the next round.
• Balogun sent off: He scored and then was sent off. Balogun received a straight red card for a tackle that was deemed to be dangerous play. The USA played with 10 men for the rest of the game and he’ll be suspended for the next match.
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Scroll through the posts below to relive the historic World Cup match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
USA holds on for historic World Cup win over Bosnia and Herzegovina to advance to round of 16
It’s never easy, especially in the knockout rounds of the World Cup, but the USA did it.
The Americans defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to secure a spot in the round of 16, setting up a clash with Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
Folarin Balogun got the scoring started in the 45th minute after many missed opportunities in the first half for the USMNT.
After halftime, the US appeared to have had lost their edge on offense and Balogun, their leading scorer this tournament, was shown a straight red for a tackle that was deemed dangerous in the 64th minute. He will be suspended for the team’s next match.
Left with just 10 men for the rest of the match, the Americans desperately needed another goal to finally put the Bosnians away.
That goal came in the 82nd minute on a Malik Tillman free kick from the edge of the box and the US were able to defend the lead the rest of the way.
“We had to dig deep for that one, obviously we put on such a good performance and we didn’t deserve the red card,” Pulisic told the Fox broadcast after the match. “I mean I didn’t see it, but it’s unfortunate. But for us to dig in deep like that, to just get another goal and defend the way we did, took a real team effort.”
Here's what happens next
So, what now?
The USA will play at 8 p.m. ET on July 6 against Belgium at Seattle’s Lumen Field, the scene of their 2-0 group stage win over Australia last month. It’s a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 when Belgium defeated the USA 2-1 in extra time.
Belgium’s best players from that team have largely aged out of the side, although Kevin De Bruyne and Romelo Lukaku – the men who scored the two goals in 2014 – are still the central pieces for the Red Devils. The Belgians underwhelmed early in this tournament before thumping New Zealand 5-1 in the final group stage.
The Belgians could have easily gone out on Wednesday in the game before the USA-Bosnia-Herzegovina showdown, trailing 2-0 to Senegal until the final minutes when they struck twice in three minutes to even things. They then scored a penalty in the final minute of extra time to defeat Senegal.
The Belgians and Americans played in a friendly this spring, with Belgium coming out 5-2 victors.
The USA will now be without Folarin Balogun, who received a straight red card for a risky challenge in Wednesday’s match. It’s a huge loss for the USA as Balogun has been the team’s best attacker in the World Cup, but the USA will be optimistic that they can take advantage of Belgium in the attacking third.
If the USA were to beat Belgium, it would make even more history: The USA has never won two World Cup knockout games in one tournament and would see them back into the quarterfinals, something they have only done once in 2002 when the tournament did not have a Round of 32.
Pulisic says the USA had to dig deep for the win
USA star Christian Pulisic said after the match that the way the US pulled together after the red card to Folarin Balogun shows the strength of the team.
“It takes a lot. The guys really had to dig in deep. It didn’t go exactly to plan with the red card, but we said in the hydration break that this is what it takes to be a strong team,” Pulisic told the Fox broadcast.
The USA had to play with 10 men for more than 30 minutes, but still managed to keep a rare clean sheet against the Bosnians.
Santa Clara sings along to "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
Fans in Santa Clara sang along to John Denver’s classic song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” much to the delight of USA players celebrating advancing to the round of 16 in the World Cup.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino joined in on the action while embracing his assistant coaches.
It’s all good vibes in Northern California.
And that's it! USA 2, Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
The USA has held on and will advance in the 2026 World Cup!
It’s a historic win – the first time the USA has advanced past the first knockout game since 2002 and only the second World Cup elimination game victory in American men’s soccer history. It’s the first win for the USA over a European side since they last beat Bosnia in December 2021 – a run of 12 games.
Huge celebrations at the final whistle as the Stars and Stripes move on to face Belgium on Monday in Seattle.
Another sub for the USA as full-time nears
Weston McKennie has been one the more impactful players for the USA today and he came off to a rousing ovation from the Santa Clara crowd in the 94th minute.
The midfielder is replaced by Gio Reyna with just about four minutes to play.
It’s tense but the USA is holding on here.
10 minutes of stoppage time
The USA are close to advancing to the round of 16 and set up a date with Belgium in Seattle on Monday.
However, 10 minutes of stoppage has been added so the Americans have some more work to do ahead of the full-time whistle.
First subs come on for the US
It is the 87th minute and the US are just now making their first substitutions of the game.
Sebastian Berhalter on for Sergiño Dest and Ricardo Pepi on for Christian Pulistic.
Less than two minutes to go before stoppage time.
2-0 USA!
MALIK TILLMAN MAKES IT 2-0 USA!
The midfielder scored on a free kick from just outside the box to extend the Americans’ lead in the 82nd minute.
Stjepan Radeljić’s foul at the edge of the box got him booked with a yellow card and an opportunity for the USA, which Tillman capitalized on with a curling free kick as the game slowly ticks to the finish line.
Pulisic's goal ruled offside
The 10-men US squad were so, so, so, so close to extending the lead after Christian Pulisic corralled a pass from Weston McKennie and eeked it past the Bosnian goalkeeper but the offside flag went up.
The Americans might be down a man but would love another goal with Bosnia and Herzegovina threatening down the stretch.
Bosnia and Herzegovina makes two final subs as they go for the equalizer
Bosnia and Herzegovina is going for it now.
They just made two more substitutions, bringing off defenders Sead Kolasinac and Nikola Katic for forward Haris Tabakovic and midfielder Amar Memic.
This is about to be a siege on the US net. The Bosnians have no additional subs.
The red card totally changes the game
This red card to Folarin Balogun completely changes this game.
Balogun has been the focal point of the USA attack, although he had been quiet since the halftime intermission, and is the team’s top goal scorer during the tournament. With Bosnia and Herzegovina chasing a goal already, the pressure was going to be on the USA and he would have been an important outlet point for clearances from the defensive end.
Now, the USA will have to be cautious going forward and not commit too many men so they don’t get caught shorthanded by the Bosnian attack, which has looked more lively since the 50th minute substitutions.
A second goal for the USA is far less likely than it was a few minutes ago, though not impossible. But the game will now necessitate some stout defending from a team that is not necessarily known for it.
A real test is coming over the final 20-some-odd minutes of this match.
Balogun just received a red card. What it means
If you’re new to soccer and confused by the referee’s red cards, we can fill you in here.
A red card signal is one of the referees’ disciplinary actions for a player committing a foul or offense on the field. Fouls can look like trips, kicks or pushes and more.
Something important to note: fouls don’t always result in a referee doling out a card. Cards are reserved for particularly dangerous or unsportsmanlike play. Common fouls mean a stoppage in play, possession and a free kick for the fouled team.
While a yellow card serves as a caution, a red card is much more severe. It results in a player’s immediate ejection from the match and suspension for the match to follow. The team then has to finish the match with one less player on the field, no substitutions.
Some of the ways a player can receive a red card include committing a dangerous foul or denying a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Red cards can be reviewed by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee to determine if a violent act should result in a longer suspension. Multiple red cards in the same tournament can lead to lengthier suspensions as well as fines for the player.
Balogun given red card for foul
In a shocking turn of events, Folarin Balogun was shown a red card after a foul on Tarik Muharemovic in the 64th minute.
While trying to play the ball, Balogun stepped on Muharemovic’s ankle.
It went to VAR review, and referee Raphael Claus determined a red card was necessary.
Balogun, the USA’s leading scorer, is now out for the rest of the game as they are now down to 10 men and will also be suspended for the American’s next game should they advance.
Bosnia makes three subs -- including star Edin Džeko
Big moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina here as star player Edin Džeko is coming off after picking up an injury.
Džeko, 40, is his country’s all-time leading scorer and has played at the highest levels of the game for years. If the Bosnians fall today, it very well could be his final match for his country.
The Bosnians took the opportunity to make a host of changes five minutes into the half, making a total of three subsitutes.
Here we go -- the second half is underway
Forty-five minutes separates the USA from a historic World Cup win. The second half has just begun.
This World Cup has been full of drama. What does this half have in store for us?
Mexico advances to the Round of 16 delighting fans
The celebrations over Mexico’s win weren’t limited to south of the border.
Queens, New York, is home to one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the country. Fans took to the streets to celebrate yesterday when Mexico won their first World Cup knockout match in 40 years.
CNN's Shimon Prokupecz visited Queens, New York — one of the country's most diverse neighborhoods — to watch the World Cup alongside Ecuador and Mexico fans Tuesday night.
The USA can hit top gear against the Bosnians. Now they need the dagger
It took about 40 minutes, but the USA has finally shown that it can hit top gear against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The halftime whistle was unfortunate for the US as they looked to cut the Bosnian defense to pieces in the final minutes of the half, only broken up by some treatment for Tyler Adams after his collision with Edin Džeko.
Folarin Balogun has been the focal point of the US attack once again, and it’s clear that – even with attacking talent like Christian Pulisic and Sergiño Dest – the team is working best when the offense rolls through the AS Monaco striker. But the incisive movement from Pulisic, inventive play from Antonee Robinson and the passes from Malik Tillman has been a big part of the best moves that the US have pulled off.
The Bosnians will need to go for it in the second half now that they need a goal to at least force extra time. That could mean a little more space for the USA’s attacking players to go at the blue backline, and potentially more goals.
If history is any indication, one goal is likely not going to do it for the US, given that their defense is occasionally prone to giving up the unfortunate goal against the run of play. Look for Mauricio Pochettino to go for it in the next 45 minutes.
How Mexico City celebrated Mexico's win over Ecuador
Now that we’re at halftime, let’s flash back to last night.
In Mexico City, fans held huge celebrations after Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 and advanced to the Round of 16 in the World Cup.
In Mexico City, fans held huge celebrations after Mexico beat Ecuador 2-0 and advanced to the Round of 16 in the World Cup.
