Win or stay home: Previewing USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina

The GIST: For anyone still stuck on last week’s 3–2 loss to Türkiye, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino would say you’re thinking too small. This squad won their group after just two games, something only two other countries accomplished in this tourney.

• Furthermore, the U.S. made massive lineup changes against Türkiye to rest their starters for the knockout rounds — and frankly, they learned more in the loss than they would have from a low-stakes dub. In other words, a deep run is definitely still on the table.

⏱️The biggest takeaway: Close out each half. Allowing late goals was a serious Achilles’ heel for this squad prior to the WC and against Türkiye. The good news is, their first two WC tilts showed that the U.S. can play to the whistle and even punish opponents with late goals of their own.

🤓 Now that the tourney is single-elimination, the starters will be running the show. Here are some names you need to know ahead of tonight’s match:

• 🔴 Christian Pulisic | Forward: Captain America is back, baby. Pulisic rode the bench against Australia while nursing a calf injury, but he immediately changed the tone and pace after coming on in the second half against Türkiye.

• ⚪ Sergiño Dest | Defender: With BIH likely focusing on Pulisic on the left, expect to see things open up for Dest on the right. He’s a natural playmaker and will try to exploit a slower opponent while making quick runs down the flank with fellow defender Alex Freeman.

• 🔵 Tyler Adams | Midfielder: The heart of this USMNT team, everything goes through Adams. His smart play will be key to stretching the BIH defensive lines.

The GIST: BIH are not to be taken lightly. The Dragons upset Italy in a do-or-die playoff to reach the WC earlier this spring and frustrated fellow co-hosts Canada in the group stage with a 1–1 draw. They use their staggering height to their advantage and will be bringing out all the stops to play spoiler tonight.

🐉 To reach the Round of 32, the Dragons downed Qatar 3–1 behind a relentless early attack, an uncharacteristic move for this squad. The tactical switch up shows their true strength — the drive to do anything to sabotage the opposition.

• Even worse for the home team, BIH has already won two high-stake penalty kick shootouts this year against Wales and the aforementioned Italians. The USMNT should do everything they can to avoid a shootout this time.

👀 Who else should USMNT fans get to know before kickoff?

• 🔵 Esmir Bajraktarević | Forward: In 2024, the Wisconsin native made his debut for the USMNT, then switched to represent his parents’ home country. Bajraktarević is a rising star for BIH and even scored the penalty that sent them to the WC.

• 🟡 Edin Džeko | Forward: The captain of the Dragons, Džeko is BIH’s most experienced player and leading all-time scorer. At 40 years old, he is still a lethal threat in the air and a clinical finisher who will undoubtedly test U.S. goalie Matt Freese.

🦅 The USMNT are the favorites in this game, and they need to play like it. In their two competitive group stage matches, they dictated the tempo and stuck to their own strategy instead of reacting to their opponent. Formation and fluidity played a big role in both dubs, too.

💪 In last month’s 4–1 dub over Paraguay — a game that could be considered our full-strength blueprint — the Yanks came out in a 5-3-2 formation (five defenders, three midfielders, two forwards) but then flowed into a 3-2-4-1 (three defenders, two wingbacks, four midfielders, one forward), and the result was goals galore.

• Then against Australia, they successfully changed to a 3-5-2 to make up for Pulisic’s absence, showing they can win with very different formations…and the Dragons won’t know which one they’re getting until the game starts.

📍 Another key to success will be strict defense on BIH set pieces. Tied with Norway as the tallest team in the WC, the Dragons have a lot of big targets who will look to capitalize on aerial duels. A tiny lapse in focus could have devastating consequences. No pressure.