The United States men's national team will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup last 32 on Wednesday evening at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium. After the expansion of the tournament field, the new knockout round has already produced upsets, with Germany and Netherlands among favorites struggling. The US, having won Group D by defeating Paraguay and Australia, rested starters against Turkey and now look to advance.
Pulisic: 'We have to be ready for whatever'
Christian Pulisic, who missed some group stage minutes due to a left calf injury but says he is now fully fit, stressed the unpredictability of knockout soccer. "It's a World Cup. You're never going to get the so-called favorite winning every single time," Pulisic said. "We have to be ready for whatever's to come tomorrow. We don't think it's going to be easy by any means."
Bosnia's path and threats
Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced from Group B with a draw against co-host Canada and a win over Qatar, though they suffered a 4-1 defeat to Switzerland. The US defense will face veteran striker Edin Džeko, who at 40 remains a key figure despite not scoring in the group stage. Chris Richards, the US center back, acknowledged the challenge: "He's a guy that I think might be Bosnia's kind of figurehead. For me, it's making sure that I don't get dragged into his games."
US approach: Stick to principles
The US team has emphasized consistency and defensive solidity. "We're not going to go crazy if plan A doesn't work," Richards said. "We know that how we played so far throughout the tournament has been very successful, so we're going to try to stick to that." The US backline has taken pride in clean sheets, with Richards noting, "If our goalie isn't doing much in the back, then we've had a successful day."
Key tactical battle
Pulisic hinted at multiple strategies to break down a low-block opponent, without revealing specifics. "There's a lot of different ways. Not just being one-dimensional, moving the ball, and trying to find ways to break through," he said. The US wing-backs, Antonee Robinson and Sergiño Dest, will also need to contain Bosnia's young wingers Esmir Bajraktarević and Kerim Alajbegović.
The match kicks off at 8 PM local time, with the winner advancing to the round of 16.
