U.S. Versus Bosnia: A Soccer History

The Americans Will Play Their Fourth Match Against the European Nation and Hope to Remain Unbeaten

The rivalry between the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina is short on history but long on drama, and Wednesday marks the first time the two nations will meet in competitive play.

Their series opener, a friendly in Sarajevo in August 2013, delivered one of the more memorable American performances of that era. The U.S. fell behind 2-0 at halftime, with Edin Džeko and Vedad Ibišević—the latter a Saint Louis University alum who had become one of Bosnia's most reliable strikers—doing the damage. What followed was a stunning second-half revival. Jozy Altidore, in the form of his life during a summer that saw him score in five consecutive appearances, orchestrated the comeback nearly single-handedly. Eddie Johnson cut the deficit, and then Altidore took over, completing a hat-trick that included a precise left-footed finish, a free kick from just outside the box, and a nimble one-on-one finish after a perfectly weighted ball from Michael Bradley. Final score: 4-3, the first time the U.S. had ever come back from a multi-goal deficit on European soil to win.

The next two meetings came on American turf, both in Carson, California, and both were far quieter affairs. A January 2018 friendly, used largely to evaluate domestic-based fringe players, ended scoreless. Nearly four years later, in December 2021, Cole Bassett's 89th-minute goal gave the U.S. a 1-0 win that sealed a then-record 17 victories in a single calendar year for the program.

Three meetings, two American wins, one draw. Now, for the first time, something is actually on the line.

Bosnia is the Next Test

 After Sneaking Out of the Group in Third Place, Bosnia is a Tricky Opponent

Bosnia and Herzegovina arrive in Santa Clara as underdogs, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

The Dragons earned their place in the Round of 32 the hard way, navigating a turbulent group stage that included a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Switzerland before bouncing back with a 3-1 win over Qatar that clinched their spot as one of the tournament's best third-place finishers. It's only their second World Cup appearance, and already they've gone further than they did in Brazil in 2014. For a side that also failed to qualify for the two tournaments that followed, Wednesday night represents something genuinely historic.

They didn't arrive here by accident, either. Bosnia famously eliminated Italy in qualifying to punch their ticket to this World Cup—a result that underscored the belief running through Sergej Barbarez's squad. That belief hasn't wavered despite the prospect of playing on American soil before a packed, partisan crowd. "We will be extremely relieved, and we will try to take on any team that comes our way," Barbarez said after the Qatar win.

Their blueprint is familiar: defensively structured, dangerous on the counter. The wing pairing of Esmir Bajraktarević and Kerim Alajbegović, products of PSV and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively, gives Bosnia genuine pace and width in transition, while 40-year-old Edin Džeko, still searching for his first goal of this tournament, remains a constant aerial threat.

Center-back Tarik Muharemović returns from suspension after missing the Qatar match, shoring up a backline that will need to be disciplined for 90 minutes if Bosnia is to pull off one of the tournament's early upsets.

U.S. Ready for the Knockout Round

After a Defeat in the Final Group Stage Match, Americans Need to Come Out on the Front Foot

The knockout rounds are here, and the U.S. Men's National Team is ready to meet them, even if the weight of the moment hasn't fully landed yet.

"Would it be weird if I told you I don't really feel too much pressure at this minute?" captain Tim Ream said Monday ahead of the team's departure from Southern California for the Bay Area. "I just think there's so much pressure that we put on ourselves. It feels very different this time around than 2022."

Wednesday's Round of 32 opponent is Bosnia and Herzegovina, who punched through as one of the best third-place finishers after a 3-1 win over Qatar left them with four points. For the Dragons, it's just their second World Cup appearance; they didn't survive the group stage in Brazil in 2014. Coach Sergej Barbarez wasn't rattled by the draw, though. "We are confident enough to face anyone," he said.

The U.S. arrives as Group D winners, having dispatched Paraguay and Australia in convincing fashion before rotating heavily in a dead-rubber loss to Türkiye. That record against European opposition—no wins in 13 consecutive matches against UEFA nations—lingers in the background, the kind of statistical ghost that tends to follow a team into a knockout bracket.

Bosnia's structure figures to be compact. They attempted the third-fewest passes into opponent boxes of any advancing team across three group games, leaning on width and the aerial presence of veteran striker Edin Džeko. Gio Reyna, who played his longest stretch since December against Türkiye, is the type of puzzle-solver the U.S. will need to crack a disciplined defensive shape. Kickoff is Wednesday at Levi's Stadium.

Pochettino Unfazed

Manager Pleased With Group Win, Despite Loss in Final Match

Mauricio Pochettino wasn't going to let a last-second loss ruin his mood, even if he had a hard time hiding his irritation with the media afterward.

Speaking at his postgame press conference following the 3-2 defeat to Turkey on Thursday, Pochettino pushed back sharply on questions suggesting the result could dent the Americans' momentum heading into the Round of 32. He pointed out that Germany also lost their final group game and questioned what "momentum" even means in this context.

"I think it's all positive, and I am so positive, and I am happy," Pochettino said. "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."

He also noted, more than once, that nobody in the room had congratulated him for winning Group D. "Sorry guys, we won," he said before standing and leaving.

His rotation strategy was entirely deliberate. With first place already secured before kickoff, Pochettino made nine changes from the side that beat Australia, resting key players like Chris Richards and Folarin Balogun while shielding Tyler Adams and Antonee Robinson from yellow card accumulation ahead of Wednesday's match with Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also used the match to give Christian Pulisic meaningful minutes following the calf injury that had sidelined him since the Paraguay opener.

Reports from ESPN, meanwhile, indicate that Pochettino and U.S. Soccer have had positive preliminary discussions about a contract extension through the 2030 World Cup, though no decision is expected until the tournament concludes.

Knockout Round Awaits

History Shows The U.S. Has Struggled After Surviving the Group Stage

For most of its history, the United States men's national team has been a group-stage survivor at best, and Thursday's defeat to Turkey was a reminder of how far the program has come, even as it raised familiar questions about what happens when the knockout rounds begin.

The U.S. has appeared in twelve World Cups, but the resume is thin when it comes to advancing. The Americans made the semifinals in the inaugural 1930 tournament, still their best-ever finish, and famously knocked off England in 1950, but were then absent from the competition entirely until 1990. Of the eight tournaments they've entered since returning, they advanced from the group stage five times: 1994, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2022.

Knockout success, however, has been rare. The U.S. has won exactly one knockout match in its history—a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the 2002 quarterfinals, before falling to Germany in the next round. Every other knockout appearance has ended in defeat, including losses to Brazil, Ghana, Belgium and the Netherlands.

That context makes 2026 feel different. The U.S. won Group D with two wins before the Turkey match, the first time in their history they'd clinched top spot before the final group game. They've scored eight goals in the group stage alone, setting their all-time record for goals in a World Cup. And they've done it on home soil, in front of crowds that have turned every match into a genuine spectacle.

Now comes the part that has always tripped them up. Bosnia and Herzegovina await Wednesday in Santa Clara.

Türkiye Beats U.S.

Group Winners Fall to the Last-Place Team in Final Group Stage Match

Kaan Ayhan's stoppage-time strike handed Türkiye a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, spoiling what had been a compelling comeback by Mauricio Pochettino's side in a group stage finale that carried little consequence for the Americans.

The U.S. had already clinched Group D with wins over Paraguay and Australia, and Pochettino reflected that by rotating nine starters for the contest. The move paid dividends in the opening minutes when Auston Trusty volleyed home in the third minute to send the sellout Los Angeles crowd into a frenzy—the Americans' seventh goal of the tournament, tying their all-time World Cup scoring record.

Türkiye answered quickly, though. Arda Güler and Orkun Kökçü struck in the first half to flip the scoreboard, with Güler, the 21-year-old Real Madrid standout, involved in both goals. Sebastian Berhalter restored parity just after the break with a thunderous effort from distance, setting up a frantic final half hour.

The most anticipated moment of the night came in the 58th minute, when Christian Pulisic checked in for his first action since leaving the Paraguay opener with a calf injury. The AC Milan midfielder was electric immediately, creating chances and nearly scoring before a 63rd-minute effort rattled the post. Brenden Aaronson couldn't convert the rebound.

In the eighth minute of stoppage time, Can Uzun found space at the back post and laid the ball across for Ayhan to slide home the winner—a gut-punch finish that snapped the Americans' perfect record heading into their Round of 32 date with Bosnia and Herzegovina next Wednesday.

U.S. vs Turkiye: A Soccer History

All Five Matches Between the Two Nations Have Been Close Contests

Thursday's group finale at SoFi Stadium will mark just the sixth all-time meeting between the United States and Turkey, a rivalry that, while brief, has produced no shortage of drama across three decades.

The two nations first met in September 1991, when Frank Klopas earned the Americans a 1-1 draw in Istanbul. Their most consequential clash came at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Turkey handed the U.S. a 2-1 group-stage defeat. DaMarcus Beasley provided the lone American goal on the way to the USMNT's early elimination from the competition.

The Americans then strung together back-to-back friendly victories. Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey scored in a 2-1 win in Philadelphia ahead of the 2010 World Cup, and Dempsey joined Fabian Johnson on the scoresheet for another 2-1 result at Red Bull Arena in 2014.

The most recent meeting came just last summer, a tightly contested friendly in which Jack McGlynn struck in the opening minute before Turkey rallied to win 2-1.

That leaves the all-time series perfectly deadlocked at two wins, two losses and a draw apiece. Both nations also have significant World Cup history—Turkey's remarkable third-place finish in 2002 and the USMNT's consistent presence on the global stage—making Thursday's dead rubber a chance to tip the balance.

Turkiye Eliminated

Expected to Get Out of Group D, Turkiye Eliminated Before Their Final Group Stage Match

Turkiye arrives in Los Angeles on Thursday as a team already heading home, eliminated after two matches, scoreless, and still searching for answers.

The Crescent Stars entered their first World Cup in 24 years, riding enormous expectations, buoyed by a golden generation anchored by Real Madrid's Arda Guler and Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz. Instead, they produced one of the tournament's most bewildering collapses. Across defeats to Australia and Paraguay, Turkey launched 62 total shots without finding the net—the most by any team in a two-match span without scoring since records began in 1966.

Against Paraguay on Friday, Turkey mustered 32 attempts and faced a man-down opposition for more than 45 minutes, yet still fell 1-0 to Matias Galarza's stunning opener just 70 seconds in. A Mert Muldur header that struck the crossbar and post in the 35th minute was the closest they came.

"We tried very hard, but it didn't work," Guler said afterward. "Everybody's sad, everybody's crying."

Coach Vincenzo Montella's rigid 4-2-3-1 system was consistently decoded by opponents, and his reluctance to adapt proved costly. For the USMNT, Thursday's dead rubber represents a low-stakes audition for fringe players, and one final tune-up before the knockout stage begins.

A Manager's Plan

Pochettino's Patience Pays Off as USMNT Silences Doubters

A year ago, Mauricio Pochettino faced calls for his job. Now, after a 2-0 win over Australia sent the United States to the World Cup knockout stage with a game to spare for the first time in tournament history, the Argentine coach is being celebrated as the architect of something genuinely special.

Pochettino arrived in late 2024 carrying an elite résumé, having led Tottenham to its only Champions League final and won league and cup titles at Paris Saint-Germain while managing some of the world's best players. Landing him was considered a coup for U.S. Soccer. But results soured quickly: losses to Panama and Canada at the 2025 Nations League finals, followed by a damaging defeat to South Korea in September, fueled growing frustration among fans and pundits alike.

Pochettino stood by his group throughout, then closed out 2025 on a five-game unbeaten run capped by a lopsided win over Uruguay. Still, defeats to Belgium and Portugal in March reignited criticism just before he named his 26-man World Cup roster.

Through it all, his players never wavered. Goalkeeper Matt Freese said the squad maintained total belief in Pochettino's process even at the lowest points, while defender Chris Richards pointed to the coach's track record and the passion the team has tried to channel from him.

That faith has been vindicated in Seattle, where fans chanted Pochettino's name after Friday's win, and he called the support from nearly 70,000 fans amazing. With the Americans now unbeaten through two group games and into the knockout rounds, the narrative around Pochettino has flipped entirely—from a coach on the hot seat to one whose long-term vision is finally being realized on the sport's biggest stage.

Freese Quietly Steady

Though Undertested in the First Two Matches, Goalkeeper Holding Strong as USMNT's World Cup Run Continues

Through two World Cup matches, Matt Freese has done exactly what's been asked of him: very little, and done it well.

The New York City FC goalkeeper made history simply by stepping onto the field against Paraguay on June 12, becoming the first active MLS player to start a World Cup match in net for the U.S., and the first Harvard alumnus ever to appear in a men's World Cup. He played the full match in that 4-1 win, facing only two shots on target and conceding once, a workload kept light by a U.S. backline of Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman and Antonee Robinson that gave Paraguay little room to operate.

Five days later against Australia, Freese was barely tested again, recording two saves in a 2-0 victory that clinched the Americans' spot in the knockout rounds with a match to spare. The clean sheet marked his second straight World Cup start, with the U.S. controlling play from the opening whistle behind an early own goal and a first-half header from Freeman.

There's been little drama in Freese's tournament so far—no costly errors, no moments of real peril, just a composed, low-event presence behind a defense that has done much of the heavy lifting. That precision tracks with his background: Freese, the son of a neurosurgeon and nephew of a theoretical astrophysicist, even penned an analytical research paper on penalty kicks while at Harvard, once describing goalkeeping as a matter of "maximizing the surface area of the goal that you can cover at any given point."

With his World Cup debut now behind him, Freese's next test arrives June 25 against Türkiye, as the U.S. looks to close out Group D play, though Freese may be rotated out for Matt Turner ahead of the knockout round.