Before Duel with Bosnia: US Coach Pochettino Warns Against Underestimating the Underdog

Barbarez Conjures Up the David-vs-Goliath Myth

Ahead of the match in San Francisco, the 54-year-old Barbarez delivered a confident statement. The Bosnian side is coming in "as complete underdogs," but has achieved something remarkable. "David against Goliath," said the coach, who once played as a feared striker in the German Bundesliga. "But we love being David. In situations like these, we have performed at our best." He added: "For us, all of this is a bonus. But clearly: our goal is to win the game. And I believe we are confident enough to do it."

On the other side, Pochettino fielded his strongest lineup. After the US team had made ten changes in their final group match against Turkey — a 2:3 defeat that meant nothing for the already-qualified Americans — keeping only Weston McKennie in the squad, Christian Pulišić returned to the starting eleven after recovering from a minor calf injury, replacing Pepi up front. Alongside him, Folarin Balogun is set to lead the attack. The USA had previously beaten Paraguay 4:1 in their opener — a Paraguay side that later also defeated Germany — and had secured first place in Group D after two matchdays.

Ream Warns of Bosnia's Compact Defense

US captain Tim Ream meanwhile issued a stark warning about the Bosnian collective. "That's a difficult team to play against. They defend compactly and have shown on multiple occasions that they can upset big opponents. They are not in this tournament by accident." At the same time, Ream said he did not know whether the USA could necessarily expect Bosnia to sit deep: "We have to expect the unexpected."

The US team had also specifically worked on set pieces and penalties in training. "We've put a lot of work into the penalty shootout," said Ream. He declined to go into further detail about the training: "I don't want to go into that any further."

Pochettino deployed his top eleven against Bosnia. The Argentine, who drew the US team from Pot 1 of the tournament as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, is looking to celebrate the first US victory in a World Cup knockout match since the Round of 16 win against Mexico in 2002. Of the USA's past eight knockout matches at World Cups, they have won only one.

TV Outburst and Reactions in the Lead-Up

The duel was accompanied by a pre-match TV outburst. A reporter for local broadcaster ABC7, Abigail Velez, had said in an on-air segment: "Eine Sache zu Bosnien: Ich könnte nicht einmal auf einer Karte zeigen, wo es liegt. Ich habe keine Ahnung von Bosnien und will es auch gar nicht wissen. Denn Team USA ist zurück und besser denn je. Macht euch bereit, Bosnien, denn ihr wollt es zwar nicht – aber ihr werdet es kriegen!" The clip spread rapidly on social media; Velez later apologized and described her remark as a "missglückten Witz".

Former US national goalkeeper Tim Howard, who kept goal in 121 appearances for the USA and participated in two World Cups, also weighed in. He posted a video on social media in which he urged the Bosnians not even to bother boarding their plane to San Francisco, "denn die USA werden alles daran setzen, sie zu schlagen".

In the Bosnian camp, alongside veteran Edin Džeko — the 40-year-old captain and oldest player in the squad — Haris Tabaković is hoping for his first World Cup appearance. The Borussia Mönchengladbach striker had recently been carrying a knock but is expected to be fit in time. In goal is Nikola Vasilj, who played an important role in qualifying, including in penalty shootouts.

Changes in Bosnia's Formation

On the Bosnian side, Barbarez switched to a three-man backline and made three changes compared to the match against Qatar: Muharemović returned after serving a suspension, Gigović replaced Bašić, and Dedić started ahead of Bajraktarević.

At kickoff at 02:02 local time, the thermometer at Levi's Stadium read 15 degrees Celsius, as referee Raphael Claus from Brazil got the match underway. Claus ordered the first drinks break in the 24th minute.

The opening stages of the match were lively: in the 11th minute, Bosnia registered the first shot on goal through Ermedin Demirović, a forward from VfB Stuttgart, who from 19 meters in a slightly right-of-center position, however, aimed too centrally at US keeper Freese's goal. "Aus 19 Metern halbrechter Position fackelt der Stürmer vom VfB Stuttgart nicht lange. Sein Schuss kommt jedoch zu zentral auf den Kasten von Freese und ist für den Keeper kein Problem." Just a minute later, Kerim Alajbegović, formerly of Red Bull Salzburg, nearly scored directly from a corner, but Freese punched the ball clear of the danger area.

Early Chances in the Opening Phase

In the 15th minute, Balogun had the USA's first opportunity: "Im Rückraum lauert Balogun, der aus 16 Metern zentraler Position direkt abzieht. Doch sein Schuss geht knapp am rechten Pfosten vorbei." Three minutes later, the ball was almost in the Bosnian net: McKennie delivered a cross from a chipped pass, in the box goalkeeper Vasilj came out and parried the ball, but in doing so struck Robinson's head — from there the ball looped from six meters just over the crossbar. Vasilj had to receive treatment afterward. Later, the medical staff gave the all-clear: "Nach der Behandlung gibt es den Daumen nach oben vom medizinischen Personal. Vasilj kann weiterspielen." In the 29th minute, Balogun appealed for a penalty after a slight touch from Dedić, which referee Claus did not award following a VAR review.

Historically, the USA are facing an opponent that is participating in a World Cup finals for only the second time and has reached the knockout stage at this tournament for the first time. The winner of the match will face Belgium in a potential quarterfinal, after Belgium spectacularly turned their Round of 16 tie against Senegal around.

Specialist journalists assess the match as the first serious benchmarking of the USA under Pochettino at a World Cup. The Argentine coach had taken charge before the World Cup and, from a mix of Bundesliga experience, MLS stars and top European players, has forged a formidable eleven now being tested under knockout conditions for the first time.

With the late-evening kickoff California time, a live ticker began from the perspective of European broadcasts, providing minute-by-minute coverage of the match. The encounter was symbolic of the contrast program of a tournament being held for the first time across three North American countries: a co-host who sees himself as a co-favorite, against an outsider who, regardless of the outcome, can already chalk up a first-ever World Cup knockout round as a historic achievement.

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, the match is another milestone in an extraordinary qualifying and tournament campaign. After four-time world champions Italy were eliminated in the playoffs, the team mobilized national symbols; the progression to the Round of 16 was celebrated across the country as a sporting milestone. Should the team, with veteran Džeko as its oldest player, defeat the USA, it would be another David-vs-Goliath moment, just as coach Barbarez had invoked.

A Duel of Historic Dimension

The match in San Francisco is part of an overall 32-team World Cup draw for the 2026 finals, which is being staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico. It had not concluded by the editorial deadline of this report.

The match kicks off late at night by UEFA time, making the live coverage in Europe a particularly late-night affair. Broadcasters showed an extended pre-game program featuring player portraits, tactical analyses and live feeds from the stadium.

Fans and media are awaiting the outcome of the historic duel with