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The United States men’s national soccer team is heading to the Round of 16, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2-0, on Wednesday night in Santa Clara, California.
It’s just the second time in Team USA history that they won in the knockout stages. Their only other came in 2002 when they beat Mexico, 2-0, in the Round of 16.
Now, the USMNT will head back to Seattle to face Belgium, who came back from a 2-0 deficit against Senegal in the second half to win in extra time, in the Round of 16.
Usually, when the USMNT enters the knockout stage in the World Cup, they’re considered the underdogs, hoping to be scrappy to force an upset. This time around, in an expanded tournament format that begins with a Round of 32, the country on home soil was the overwhelming favorites.
Their play proved why, even in the face of adversity in the second half.
It was an inauspicious start for the USMNT after Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a couple corner kicks, and goalkeeper Matt Freese, who hasn’t really been challenged much in this World Cup, had to scramble to save one that was destined for the back of the net if he didn’t punch it away.
USA WORLD CUP STAR FOLARIN BALOGUN RECEIVES CONTROVERSIAL RED CARD DURING ROUND OF 32 MATCH
From there, though, the USMNT got to work in the first half, and controlled the match. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before they scored, and Falorin Balogun, who has had a tremendous tournament in terms of goal scoring, did he striker job when he received a pass on a turnover and put it in the back of the net in the 29th minute.
However, the sideline referee threw his flag in the air – offsides. Video replay showed Balogun was clearly off, and there wasn’t much debate from head coach Mauricio Pochettino and his sideline staff either in this case.
Balogun got another chance in stoppage time, and in this instance, he was onside and still lethal.
With Bosnia and Herzegovina defenders draped all over him, Balogun turned and swung his left foot into the ball just inside his opponent’s box and it slipped through the goalkeeper’s legs for the first goal of the match.
The U.S.-heavy crowd went into a frenzy, and Balogun celebrated with an ode to LeBron James, doing his signature stepping move as his teammates congratulated him on his third goal at the World Cup.
But the second half saw a massive moment occur in favor of Bosnia and Herzegovina when Balogun was called for a red card after VAR review determined so following a foul where he stepped on a defender’s ankle. It was a controversial call that changed the complexity of the game with the USMNT down to 10 men to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 11.
Also, despite the hard-fought win, Balogun will have to miss the Round of 16 due to the decision, which is an obvious loss for the U.S.
The red card came in the 64th minute, and the USMNT had to “suffer,” as FOX Sports color commentator Stu Holden said during the broadcast, to pull out a victory with a one-goal lead. While they had to defend with more tenacity, the USMNT still created chances to score despite their situation.
One was called back when Christian Pulisic found the back of the net, but was offsides. But Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Stjepan Radelijic held back Sergiño Dest just outside the box, forcing the referee to pull out a yellow card and give the USMNT a grade-A opportunity to pull away a bit in the 80th minute.
Enter Malik Tillman, the German-born son of a U.S. military veteran, who had the perfect free kick, dipping over the five-man wall in front of the net and going past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.
The goal put the U.S. up 2-0, and the momentum Bosnia and Herzegovina had following Balogun’s red card decision, was wiped out. They had desperation attempts to get back into the match, but the U.S. slammed the door shut to the satisfaction of the sold-out crowd at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium and the millions watching at home.
There will be tons of debate about how the U.S. deals with the loss of Balogun in the next round, but the job got done in this match where the home-country favorites kept their title hopes alive.
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