Opposition scouting: Bosnia and Herzegovina’s set piece specialty will require USMNT’s full focusplayHow the USMNT is preparing for Bosnia and Herzegovina (0:41)Jeff Carlisle
Scouting: Bosnia and Herzegovina’s set pieces will…
This FIFA World Cup has been something of a Cinderella story for the United States men’s national team. Its lively defeat of Paraguay in the opener followed by a professional victory over feisty Australia and a fully rotated side falling dramatically to Türkiye in stoppage time have raised expectations considerably across the country.
Moving into the knockout rounds, the U.S. is favored against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which made it to the last 32 as the fifth-ranked third-place team in the tournament. But even with the Americans in outstanding form, they can hardly get comfortable, not even against a team sitting 61st in FIFA’s rankings.
Just what can the U.S. expect on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California? ESPN turned to Julien Laurens to detail what Bosnia and Herzegovina will bring to pitch, and Jeff Carlisle explains how the Americans will counter.
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Coach Sergej Barbarez, a former player and captain of Bosnia and Herzegovina himself, had never managed before when he was appointed in 2024. He has injected a lot of youth with players from the diaspora who were born and raised in Sweden, Germany, Austria and the U.S., so much so that 16 new players made their debuts over the past two years.
This new, very talented generation is led by 18-year-old wunderkind Kerim Alajbegovic (RB Salzburg) and also boasts Tarik Muharemovic (23, Sassuolo), Amar Dedic (23, Benfica), Ermin Mahmic (21, Slovan Liberec) and 21-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic (PSV Eindhoven), who was born and raised in Wisconsin and even made one appearance for the U.S. team before filing a one-time switch to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The team’s identity was quite clear in group stage games against Canada (1-1), Switzerland (1-4) and Qatar (3-1).
First and foremost, Bosnia and Herzegovina is very solid. The players are physical and strong in the duels. They commit the second-highest number of fouls per game, at 15.7, and have already received six yellow cards and one red (second most). So, expect a big battle against a low block.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has struggled to keep the ball — ranking 33rd out of 48 teams in possession with 43.7% as compared with almost 60% for the U.S. and 33rd again in completed passes per game — and to create chances when the team does keep it, with the 39th-best expected goals (xG) ratio at 1.9. The difficulty in approaching the opposition box was clear against Canada (generating only eight shots, three on target) and Switzerland (five shots, three on target). The U.S. will have the ball a lot and must break down this Bosnia and Herzegovina team, probably against a five-man defense such as the Americans saw versus Switzerland and Canada.
The pace and trickery of Kerim Alajbegovic and Esmir Bajraktarevic could prove problematic for the United States. Stu Forster/Getty ImagesHowever, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s main strength is that it is excellent on set pieces. It has scored three goals already this tournament (as compared with one in open play) and has been a threat more often than not. There are players are capable of delivering great balls into the box, and there is a lot of height in the team too.Bosnia and Herzegovina also has enough individual brilliance to bring a bit of magic at any moment. Forty-year-old talisman and captain Edin Dzeko (150 caps, 73 goals) is obviously not as sharp as he once was but can still bury a good chance. The dribbling skills of the two young wingers — Alajbegovic, who scored one of the best goals of the tournament against Qatar, on the left-hand side and Bajraktarevic on the right — make them special. And there’s the pace of Mahmic, who has scored two of his team’s five goals so far. The U.S. will have to be wary of the threat out wide and also focus on the defensive set piece structure and concentration. — Laurens
U.S. needs to be disciplined against frustrating opposition
The Americans will face a Bosnia and Herzegovina side that bears a striking resemblance to their first two group stage opponents in Paraguay and Australia. On both of those occasions, the U.S. squared off against teams that preferred to sit in a low block and strike on the counterattack. While no two teams are exactly alike, Bosnia and Herzegovina will look to do much the same. That reported, U.S. defender Tim Ream noted, “We have to expect the unexpected.”
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The U.S. fared well in both of the aforementioned matches. This was primarily down to the effectiveness of its press, which succeeded in suffocating the opposition for much of the game and allowed the Americans to control the tempo. It helped their cause that they struck for early goals in both matches, which further allowed them to play the match on their terms, and the U.S. was then able to build on its lead.
The return of Christian Pulisic from a calf injury counts as a major boost for the Americans. The U.S. attack hasn’t looked the same when he has been out of the lineup, and his 32-minute stint against Türkiye in the group stage finale showcased how much more fluid the co-hosts look with him on the field. Pulisic’s creativity and dynamic runs will be vital to breaking down what is expected to be a stingy Bosnia and Herzegovina defense.
The midfield trio of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Malik Tillman will need to be at their best, especially when the ball turns over. Adams in particular is relied on to snuff out attacks before they start, and his range will come in handy as the U.S. attempts to blunt the impact of Bajraktarevic and Alajbegovic on the break.
Expectations for this U.S. side have grown as the tournament has gone on. This is a rare instance of the U.S. being favored in a World Cup knockout stage game, and with a partisan crowd in Santa Clara rooting on the Americans, there figures to increased pressure on the home side to deliver a good result. Patience and discipline will indeed be virtues for the U.S. if it is to prevail, especially if an early goal doesn’t come.
One wild card off the bench could be Gio Reyna. The Borussia Mönchengladbach attacker scored a magnificent goal in the tournament opener against Paraguay, and if the U.S. finds itself late in the match needing something special, Reyna might be just the player to deliver. — Carlisle
