Key events
Familiar face
For many years, Wisconsin-born Esmir Bajraktarević was part of the US soccer pipeline. He played for youth national teams. He worked his way up through the youth ranks at the New England Revolution and overlapped just slightly with US goalkeeper Matt Turner.
But Bajraktarević was the child of Bosnian refugees. One of his heroes was Edin Džeko, the Sarajevo-born player who distinguished himself at Manchester City, Wolfsburg and Roma.
At age 40, Džeko is still on the team. At age 21, so is Bajraktarević, who converted the winning shot in the penalty shootout that sent his country to the World Cup ahead of Italy.
Jeff Rueter writes:
He didn’t miss, slotting his attempt just underneath Donnarumma’s gloves as the keeper dove to his left. Bajraktarević peeled off to the corner flag and held his Bosnia aloft for the home supporters to admire: Zmajevi were back in the World Cup at Italy’s expense.
That sort of fearlessness in the big moment, coupled with experience scuppering a 2026 World Cup co-host’s home-field advantage, makes Bajraktarević and his team a compelling first knockout adversary. for the US.
And he has had an impact in this Cup. Jeff notes:
Bajraktarević started against Canada and Qatar and came off the bench against the Swiss, logging 214 minutes (including stoppage time) and operating as a recipient for progressive passes. Only Ivan Bašić has played more passes into the box than Bajraktarević’s five for Bosnia and Herzegovina, per Futi, while his 70 attacking-third touches trail his opposite winger, Kerim Alajbegović.
Preamble
Welcome to one of the biggest games in US men’s history.
Such sentiments are often overstated. But this game will have one of two possible outcomes …
1. A third win in the same World Cup for the first time in US men’s history. Even the semifinalists of 1930 only won twice. The win would be validation that the team’s start to the tournament was no outlier – though seeing Paraguay knock out Germany just three games after the US ran riot over the South American side provides ample demonstration that this US team should officially be rated “not bad.”
2. A national deflating.
Should the USA win and then lose to Senegal … wait, what just happened? Oh. Should the USA win and then lose to Senegal or Belgium, that would be yet another in a succession of losses in the round of 16, but again — they would have won three games and would probably stake a claim as one of the better teams to miss out on the quarterfinals. A loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina would be less palatable among US sport fandom.
Which may be unfair, because this is absolutely the biggest game in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Until this year, the only points the young nation had managed in the World Cup final tournament were in a dead-ish rubber against Iran in 2014. In theory, Iran could’ve wiped out the World Cup debutants and advanced past Nigeria on goal difference, but the Iranian team put up little resistance and collapsed to a 3-1 defeat.
Last year, Bosnia and Herzegovina put up a credible performance in group-stage qualifying, finishing second behind Austria. Then they won two nail-biting affairs in the European playoffs, eliminating Wales on penalties after a late goal from grizzled veteran Edin Džeko, then shocking Italy on penalties after another second-half equalizer.
Then in their return to the Big Dance after 12 years away, Bosnia and Herzegovina stunned co-host Canada with a first-half goal and held on for an impressive draw. Switzerland picked them apart, but they advanced with a solid 3-1 smackdown over Qatar.
And Bosnia and Herzegovina absolutely will not be intimidated. Nor should they. This is a country that endured the horrors of the years of war that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia. Some of the players are the children of refugees from that conflict.
They also happen to have a lot of players who’ve been through pressure cookers in European football, along with some tantalizing prospects.
The USA will be playing to shed the tag of underachievers that has dogged the so-called “golden generation” ever since the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Bosnia and Herzegovina will be playing for a long-awaited breakthrough on the international scene.
On paper, perhaps this is a game that favors the USA. Ask England if being favored on paper meant the game was easy. Or ask Germany if such a designation kept them from being swept out of this Cup.
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from Graham Ruthven’s daily World Cup watch guide about this matchup:
What to watch for
Pochettino’s decision to rest most of his first-choice players for the USA’s dead-rubber group finale against Turkey will have paid dividends if the co-hosts are able to keep up the intensity of their play against a Bosnia and Herzegovina team who will sit deep and ask to be broken down.
Bosnia and Herzegovina embrace the slog. They made it to this World Cup by winning back-to-back penalty shootouts against Wales and Italy and will attempt to make the USA’s life a misery in Santa Clara by closing space between the lines, staying compact at the back and playing for set pieces.
Player to watch: Christian Pulisic, USA – The Milan winger made his return from injury against Turkey and could be in line to start this match. Pulisic’s direct running and one-v-one ability could be critical to breaking down the Bosnia and Herzegovina backline.
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