SANTA CLARA, Calif. – At the World Cup, the U.S. men’s national team have become accustomed to an early lead and a game state that suits their fluid, attack-minded tendencies. Describing the goals they scored in Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 as inevitable would be a bridge too far, but it was well within their skillset, so much so that Folarin Balogun‘s game-opening goal in the 45th minute felt like a long time coming. They had seemingly survived their opponents’ disruptive game plan just before the break, the group halfway to their first win in the World Cup knockouts in 24 years, the floodgates perhaps open in time for the second half.
Soccer, though, had other plans.
For starters, the flurry of shots they hoped to take against Bosnia and Herzegovina never came. The game resumed its slog-like nature as soon as the referee blew the whistle for the second half, their very first shot after the break only coming in the 79th minute. It was far from their biggest problem, though – star striker Balogun was shown a red card in the 64th minute for a studs-up challenge on Tarik Muharemovic, even if it was completely unintentional because he had his back to the defender. Conventional wisdom would suggest that the USMNT attempt to bunker down to protect a narrow one-goal lead with a half hour on the clock, their attempts not coming off no matter how hard they tried. That was especially true on the wings, through which the USMNT’s attack usually flows; Sergino Dest and Christian Pulisic drifted too wide and were not particularly present, with Balogun off the pitch, the balance was off.
The USMNT, though, stuck to their guns and stayed true to a mode that had defined their World Cup journey but has never actually been the team’s trademark — they played like big shots.
Soccer’s great tactical existential question has naturally carried over to a World Cup played after practical, rigid play took over certain subsections of the global game. The USMNT, and many other teams along with them at this World Cup, have decided that the best defense is as competent an offense one can possibly muster. It was never easy for the USMNT against Bosnia and Herzegovina, who limited them to just two shots on target and 0.92 expected goals. It did not deter the USMNT, who were rewarded for their persistence with a goal from Malik Tillman nearly 20 minutes after Balogun’s red card — and with only their shot of the second half.
It was an ambitious strategy that reflected the aims of a team intent on making a statement run at a World Cup on home soil, the momentum of a hard-fought but solution-oriented victory aligning accordingly. It is also a signal that, against many odds, the USMNT are positioning themselves as a team that really can attempt to place themselves amongst the world’s best, many of them stylishly ambitious in their own right.
Their round of 16 game against Belgium on Monday will offer a uniquely stiff test of their ability to live up to their own aspirations. Their next opponent has not always impressed at this World Cup but can rest on their top talents, chief among them midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, the greatest playmaker of his generation.
A win in the round of 32 still feels like some version of purgatory between the group stage and the knockouts, even if the round has overall been entertaining. This win, though, is just as valuable as the rest and marks an important step in the journey — and a particularly memorable one, too.
