Even shorthanded, the US men’s team showed it was capable of delivering a knockout punch

Sport admin July 2, 2026 0 Comments

Even shorthanded, the US men’s team showed it was capable of delivering a knockout punch

This was the night when they came of age, when the US men’s soccer team won a World Cup knockout match that they were expected to and did it under extreme duress.

Beating Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2-0, in Santa Clara, Calif., was no upset. But the Americans managed it despite playing with 10 men for the final 26 minutes plus another 10 of stoppage time after super-striker Folarin Balogun was red-carded for what appeared to be a minor infraction.

It was the first time since 2002 and only the second time ever that the US won an elimination match on the global stage.

Now comes a Monday prime-time showdown with Belgium in the round of 16 in Seattle, and an even chance to advance to the final eight, which the Yanks last managed two dozen years ago.

This victory came at a significant price, however. Balogun, who scored the first goal just before halftime, will be suspended for that match. He’s the team’s top gun, a sharpshooter in the tradition of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

When Balogun was sent off after a VAR review controversially determined that he’d fouled Tarik Muharemovic, the flow of the match changed immediately.

It was the Americans, who’d been on the front foot for long periods, who now had to bunker in and stave off a bunch of blue jerseys who suddenly saw a chance for an unlikely triumph.

That was how the Dragons got here in the first place. They came from behind late in their European qualifying playoffs with Wales and Italy and won both in shootouts. They were familiar with a movie with an unlikely twist at the end.

This time, though, the Americans finished off Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 82nd minute with a lovely free kick by Malik Tillman, whose blast went off the outstretched hand of keeper Nikola Vasilj.

This wasn’t the first time that the Yanks had held the fort against daunting odds in a Cup encounter. In 2006, when a loss would have meant elimination after two matches, the US salvaged a 1-1 draw with eventual champion Italy despite playing the final 43 minutes with nine men to the Azzurri’s 10 after Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were ejected.

That squad went three-and-out after losing to Ghana. This one is alive and still on the march at a point when several traditional heavyweights either are gone or are delighted to be playing.

The Germans went out to Paraguay, whom the US bashed by three goals. The Dutch fell to Morocco in a shootout. Brazil needed a goal deep in stoppage time to put away Japan.

England trailed the Democratic Republic of the Congo 15 minutes from the end on Wednesday afternoon before Harry Kane, still the Three Lions’ chief rescuer, scored twice.

And Belgium, down by two goals to Senegal with four minutes to play, drew even and prevailed in extra time on captain Youri Tielemans’s penalty kick just a few seconds before the match would have gone to a shootout.

Still, it would have been a disaster for the Americans to lose this one. They were facing the lowest-ranked of the 16 European entries in the field. They were playing in front of a raucous crowd. They were healthy and rested. They had the lead.

Mexico and Canada, their fellow co-hosts, already had advanced. For Uncle Sam to fold his star-spangled big top before the Fourth of July would have been a downer beyond words.

So his resolute nephews did what they had to do. They regrouped, defended in their third with discipline and savvy, and headed upfield confidently when they saw the opening.

Tillman’s goal, eight minutes from the end of regulation, was the crowning coup. The Dragons weren’t going to score two goals, even with a healthy chunk of time added.

As impressive as the Americans’ spirited stubbornness was that they still had their original 10 starters on the field when they put the match away. Coach Mauricio Pochettino had enough faith in their fitness and their cohesion to stick with the guys who’d brought him.

Now the road becomes decidedly steeper. The Americans, who hadn’t beaten a European opponent since they handled Bosnia-Herzegovina in a friendly five years ago, likely have three in a row ahead.

Belgium, which knocked the US out in extra time in the round of 16 in 2014. Spain, the European champions. And France, the two-time titlists who lost in a shootout to Argentina in the final four years ago.

But what the Americans proved to themselves and everyone else on Wednesday is invaluable. They can draw first blood in a knockout match and close it out despite playing shorthanded for three dozen minutes. That’s priceless knowledge picked up the hard way.