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.