SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There are moments and remnants from the 2-0 U.S. victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday that will undoubtedly stand the test of time.
Folarin Balogun’s goal and red card — the first such combination at a World Cup since Zinedine Zidane 20 years ago.
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Malik Tillman’s bloody sock — the result of an opponent stepping on, and cutting through — his shoe.
U.S. bravery — on display during a shorthanded 26 minutes, plus another 10 of stoppage time.
Tillman’s immaculate free kick — a stunner by the team’s shy, soft-spoken midfielder that triggered a roar still echoing across Northern California.
Mauricio Pochettino’s singing voice — prompted by the USA’s celebratory song, “Country Roads,” booming over the loudspeakers again after another victory.
But before any of these things can be explained, perspective is necessary.
The Americans have won a World Cup knockout match for the first time in 24 years and the second time in their unremarkable history. They will now head to Seattle and play in the Round of 16 on Monday against Belgium, which toyed with them in Atlanta in March, 5-2.
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They have won three matches in a single World Cup. While that is common for the powerhouses of soccer, sometimes in the group stage alone, the U.S. had never before accomplished that. Heck, before this summer, it had won nine World Cup matches in history.
In other words, this is not a normal World Cup for the U.S. Then again, this is not a normal U.S. team.
(REUTERS / REUTERS)
The momentum that took hold in the first two matches and paused for an inconsequential Group D finale last week is accelerating again.
“For us, it’s about keep dreaming, keep working really hard and competing, and all is possible,” Pochettino said. “In football, all is possible, if you believe. We are going to believe that, with all respect to Belgium, with our fans in Seattle, we can be very competitive and, of course, try to win the game to go to the next round.”
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A trip to the Round of 16 is not novel; the U.S. has lost at that stage in 1994, 2010, 2014 and 2022. But with a Round of 32 necessitated by the expanded field, the Americans faced their knockout-stage demons earlier.
They were favored to win, and they were deserving winners. They were the better side in the first half and were rewarded just before intermission on Balogun’s goal. Even after being reduced to 10 men in the second half, they adeptly managed the match before Tillman finished off Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They’ll now seek their first quarterfinal berth since the 2002 squad beat Mexico in South Korea.
It all could have very easily fallen apart after Balogun’s controversial red card.
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
During the hydration break, Pochettino gathered his team on the sideline.
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His message?
“Now we need to show that we are a team, that we are united,” he said in his postgame news conference. “That was the moment to show to everyone and to show ourselves that it’s not only empty words when we say we are a family. The team showed the qualities, the capacity to compete, to fight for each other. So proud, so proud about the players. They are the heroes and they deserve all the credit.”
Pochettino strongly disagreed with the red-card decision, one that not only left the U.S. undermanned but left Balogun (three goals in the tournament) suspended for the Belgium match.
“It’s never a red card,” he said.
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Pochettino continued praising his players, saying, “How they managed the situation was amazing, and they showed we are mature enough to keep competing.”
Center back Chris Richards echoed Pochettino’s comments.
“It shows how strong the team is,” he said. “We went down a man and nobody really stressed out. … We got on with it, and I think it was very important that we kept a clean sheet, and then the cherry on top was Malik’s free kick.”
Ah, that free kick.
With the ball set just outside the penalty area, Tillman and Antonee Robinson conferred.
“We’ve been going through all the ways we can possibly take this free kick,” Tillman said in a voice more suited for a library. “We talked about going under the wall. We talked about going [to the] keeper’s side. We talked about going over the wall. I know some guys doubted me to go over the wall, but I practiced this in training, and I’m happy it went in.”
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Tillman’s strike was a beauty. He lifted the ball over the wall and with enough spin to pull it toward the near side and out of the goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj’s reach.
“In the worst moment, out of nothing, a free kick and then we conceded the second goal,” Vasilj said.
Tillman struck the ball with a new shoe after an opponent’s cleat cut through the original one.
“I was in pain,” he said while standing at a microphone in his socks. He had yet to remove his right sock, which was torn and stained with blood.
“Malik is an amazing player, full of talent,” Pochettino said.
The goal was a loud act by a quiet man.
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“I’m a different type of person on the pitch, of course,” he said. “Maybe you don’t really see my emotions, but then if you score, I mean, I think you guys saw my emotions. It’s a great feeling, and of course, a very proud moment for me.”
Desperate for a goal, Bosnia and Herzegovina made noise of its own but failed to dent the U.S. resistance.
When the final whistle sounded after 10 additional minutes, a U.S. party that has grown in volume the past three weeks was rocking again.
Amid the celebrations, Pochettino took a crack at “Country Roads.”
When the song started, “it’s impossible not to sing,” Pochettino said, grinning ear to ear. “It’s impossible because it’s an amazing song. It’s very emotional.”
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It’s also impossible to not get caught up in this U.S. journey.
“The maturity of the team is amazing in the way we were growing in the last five, six weeks,” Pochettino said. “We are so, so proud, so proud of them.”
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