The United States team is set to face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a last-32 World Cup knockout match on Wednesday in Santa Clara, California. After securing early qualification through the group stage with two opening wins, the U.S. team looks to rebound from a recent defeat against Turkey. Despite being considered heavy favorites, captain Tim Ream cautioned against taking the Bosnian side lightly.
Ream highlighted Bosnia's strength, noting their victory over Italy in qualifying and their third-place finish in a group behind Switzerland and Canada. "They’re a difficult team to play against, and they’re in the tournament for a reason," Ream stated. "They went through a little bit of a conflict to get there and they’re just a really tough team. At the end of the day, the game is going to be about us and what we’re prepared to do and what need to do to advance."
Bosnia, known as the Dragons, have built their campaign on defensive organization. However, Ream indicated that the U.S. is preparing for various scenarios, stating, "I don’t know that we really expect Bosnia to just be defensive. We have to expect the unexpected."
The U.S. team aims to score first for the fourth consecutive World Cup match, hoping to energize the home crowd with an offense led by Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun.
Bosnia's squad features veteran striker Edin Dzeko, widely considered the nation's greatest player, and threats like physical forward Ermedin Demirovic and teenage winger Kerim Alajbegovic. Goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj has been a key player for Bosnia, particularly in qualifying and penalty shootouts. Ream acknowledged the importance of set-pieces and penalties in knockout matches, noting that the U.S. has been training extensively in these areas. "We’ve been doing a lot of work on penalties. I won’t go into that," he said with a laugh. "That’s something that we’ve been working on throughout the week together, even before the tournament started, so that’s taken care of really. We know that, especially in the knockouts, one mistake on a set play can send you home. So we’re fully focused on all aspects and all phases of the game."