The had not won a knockout match at the FIFA World Cup™ since 2002 until, in front of a sold-out crowd at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Mauricio Pochettino's side secured victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32
It proved a hard-fought contest against a well-drilled Bosnian defence, but the co-hosts produced a disciplined team performance to earn a.
"I'm incredibly proud of this team," Pochettino said after the final whistle. "Today it's not only about the victory itself, but about how we achieved it. That's a really important point. You can win, but the decisive thing is the way you win."
Although the USA had looked comfortable for much of the match and had limited Bosnia and Herzegovina to very few clear chances, the game changed in the 64th minute when goalscorer Folarin Balogun was shown a straight red card. Momentum appeared to swing towards the visitors, but the USA weathered the pressure before Malik Tillman wrapped up the win with a direct free-kick.
"I think it shows how resilient this team is and the commitment we put in," USA defender Antonee Robinson told FIFA after the match. "It's always easy when everything is going your way and you're playing good football. But for us to find a way today to win the game with a man less, against the run of play, shows that we're all pulling in the same direction and giving everything together."
Midfielder Christian Pulisic also highlighted the team's response after Balogun's dismissal, adding: "That was an outstanding performance from us. The red card was obviously extremely unfortunate, but the boys didn't let it unsettle them, gave everything and that made the difference in the end."
Bosnia and Herzegovina had scored in each of their previous four World Cup matches before facing the USA. With Edin Dzeko, Ermedin Demirovic and Kerim Alajbegovic in their ranks, their strength clearly lay in attack. The Stars and Stripes, however, neutralised almost all of their opponents' attacking threat to record a clean sheet.
"We're always proud to keep a clean sheet," Chris Richards told FIFA. "But for us defenders, the same principle always applies: if we do our job, we can give the attacking players the chance to make the difference up front. That's exactly what happened today."
Alongside the satisfaction of reaching the Round of 16, Pochettino also celebrated a personal milestone. The 54-year-old became the most successful USA coach in World Cup history with three tournament victories.
"Of course we're happy about records when they come along the way, but they're not our real objective," Pochettino said when asked by FIFA about the achievement. "It wouldn't be honest to claim that records like that mean nothing. They're nice, but they're not the focus. What matters for us is being competitive, winning games, carrying the momentum forward and preparing as well as possible for the game against Belgium in Seattle."
Belgium now await in the Round of 16, another formidable challenge, as Pochettino acknowledged, adding: "At a World Cup there are no easy games. That simply does not exist."
Sources: FIFA Official
