Ranked 62nd in the world, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be one of the weakest countries in the Round of 32 on paper.
Unfortunately for the USMNT, soccer often doesn’t follow the script and the European nation which was in the middle of a bloody campaign for Independence the last time the World Cup was Stateside in 1994, has a history of upsetting the odds.
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After a last-minute defeat to Turkey which saw head coach Mauricio Pochettino frustrated by media questions over a loss of momentum after resting key players, the Bosnia-USA showdown was locked in for San Francisco on June 1.
Blowing away Paraguay and Australia with dazzling attacking football has raised expectations for the Stars and Stripes, now ranked 15th by FIFA.
It was far from a full-strength line-up Pochettino fielded against Turkey with top spot in Group C already decided.
Worryingly given the next challenge, it extended a run of consecutive losses against European opponents to nine matches.
Pochettino’s USMNT will be strong favorites against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who beat lowly Qatar to progress as a third-placed team after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Switzerland and drew 1-1 with Canada top open the tournament.
The Dragons narrowly lost out to Austria in the race for automatic qualification and were forced to enter the playoffs.
After winning away against higher-ranked Wales on penalties despite falling 1-0 down, the Bosnians hosted four-time world champions Italy in a winner-takes-all-showdown and again triumphed on spot-kicks.
The team is built around a veteran core of ageing players with plenty of top-level experience and a younger talents mixed in.
Expect disciplined, physical football and players willing to fight for every blade of grass.
Switzerland’s impressive triumph was an outlier, the last time Bosnia and Herzegovina lost by more than one goal before that game was a 7-0 defeat to powerhouses Germany in 2024.
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“We came here as complete underdogs and we are trying to do something major,” coach Sergej Barbarez said after entering his post-Qatar press conference to applause from Bosnian journalists. “This was a perfect match.
“We have a lot of young players and I truly do believe that this national team has just begun and the next World Cup will be their true, own World Cup.”
Mauricio Pochettino educates media
Despite finishing top of the group, Pochettino’s reception from the U.S. media was less jubilant.
“[Momentum] is a topic that I don’t understand,” he said when asked about the loss. “What is momentum? To play with the same team that we played against Australia? And to take the risk to receive a yellow card and not to play the next game?
“Did Germany lose the momentum too [in a 2-1 loss to Ecuador]? I don’t know. [There are] too many topics in soccer that I don’t understand.
“The objective was to finish first, and we are first, and now is the next stage, and it’s going to be a final, and we are ready.
History Makers
“I think it’s all positive, and I am so positive, and I am happy. Maybe I am not showing because your questions are a little bit weird, but I am so happy, and the players are happy, because I think we perform, we compete, and we are first.
“Maybe I am confused, but the mood, the vibes [in here] is like we go home tonight and Turkey stays.”
Pochettino abruptly ended his press conference after that mic drop moment, now it is time to get to work.
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