When USA midfielder Sebastian Berhalter pounced on a loose ball and rifled it into the net from 20 yards against Türkiye to score his maiden goal, he immediately looked to find his family in the stands.
After letting out a primal scream in celebration having levelled the scores at 2-2, he blew a kiss to his loved ones — — who were watching him live out his dreams at Los Angeles Stadium.
"They have done so much to get me in the position that I'm at and I'm so thankful for them. That was a special moment," Berhalter told FIFA.
Having also set up Auston Trusty's third-minute opener, Berhalter was enjoying the game of his life. But the unwavering joy in the moment took a cruel twist when Kaan Ayhan scored eight minutes into injury time to seal .
Although the Stars and Stripes had already secured their place in the Round of 32, the defeat took away some of the momentum that Mauricio Pochettino's men have generated in the World Cup thus far.
"I think in the second half we came out and did really well. We showed that we deserved more [than we got] in the game. We did everything we could but we were unfortunate there in the last second to concede a goal, but we move on to the knockouts," Berhalter added.
Next up is Edin Dzeko and Co. when USA lock horns with Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday. "Bosnia are a good team — they will be a good test but we will be ready," he noted.
In order to prepare for the knockouts, Pochettino made nine changes to the team that defeated Australia 2-0. It was a move that was well-received by the squad.
"[He] didn't have to change nine to ten guys but he does because he believes in us, and that's what you want from a coach — guys who believe in their players," USA forward Brendan Aaronson said afterwards. "We wanted to go out there and win the game of course, but things don't go your way in football in moments but he set us up in a fantastic way today."
Pochettino's men remain confident of meeting the moment in the high-stakes pressure that only knockout football can provide, and which will determine how this team will ultimately be viewed.
"You can't let the pressure of the situation get to you, but we're really ready to go and we're going to do the best we can [against Bosnia and Herzegovina]. We're going to have plenty of time to get ready and we're going to give it our best," Aaronson added.
"You can always take the positives from defeats. There's moments that we need to clean up in the game of course."
The Stars and Stripes are expected to have star player Christian Pulisic back in the starting line-up after he impressed having come on as a second-half substitute.
"Christian is an amazing person and player and we're happy to have him back on the field," Berhalter said.
Sources: FIFA Official
