The United States men’s national team carries a ton of expectations into the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout round.
The Americans produced two convincing wins in Group D to lock up first place in the group after two matchdays.
Folarin Balogun is in incredible form, Christian Pulisic is healthy and Mauricio Pochettino seems to be pressing all the right buttons from the touchline.
Wednesday’s round-of-32 opponent is Bosnia and Herzegovina. The USMNT is the clear favorite, but Bosnia and Herzegovina will embrace the underdog and try to make it difficult for the co-host to advance.
USMNT vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina Info
Live Stream: Fox One or FoxSports.com
Odds (via FanDuel Sportsbook):
To Qualify for Next Round: USA (-700; bet $700 to win $100); Bosnia and Herzegovina (+480; bet $100 to win $480)
90-Minute Money Line: USA (-270); Bosnia and Herzegovina (+800); Draw (+380)
The USMNT has an easier round-of-32 matchup on paper than a handful of the tournament favorites.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a lower-tier European side with not a ton of history in the knockout rounds of major tournaments.
The European squad comes into Wednesday with a ton of confidence, though, after it beat Qatar 3-1 to earn one of the top-eight third-place spots.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a few dangerous young attackers that need to be watched, as well as a wily old scorer in Edin Dzeko.
The USMNT should have a majority of the possession and chance creation.
That’s a good sign for an attack that looked strong in the first half against Paraguay and Australia.
The key will be to once again score early and eliminate any doubt from seeping in. The longer the game remains tied and/or scoreless, the more spirited Bosnia and Herzegovina’s approach will be.
Pochettino’s side can’t take anything from the loss to Turkiye because the squad was rotated so much.
The only real takeaway is that Christian Pulisic, who came off the bench in that game, looks good after suffering a calf injury on Matchday 1.
The Pulisic-Folarin Balogun attacking duo needs to be on top form again for the Americans to have a stress-free round of 32.
Bosnia and Herzegovina didn’t hold a clean sheet in Group B and it allowed four goals to Switzerland in its toughest game.
There will be holes to exploit, and if Balogun continues to find space in opposing defenses, the Americans should create enough chances and find the back of the net on a few occasions.
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