Stakes suddenly high again for USMNT in knockout round

IRVINE, Calif.— It’s a whole new tournament now.The U.S.

national team has checked off boxes at the World Cup so far, topping its group and capturing the attention of the country.But that won’t stop the Americans’ tournament from being labeled a crushing disappointment if they can’t win a knockout game for the first time since 2002 when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.Traditionally the round of 16, where the U.S.

lost to Ghana in 2010, Belgium in 2014 and the Netherlands in 2022, has been its stumbling point, but the round of 32, introduced for the first time this year, adds another hurdle.Belgium, after dramatically topping Group G on Friday night, will be a potential Round of 16 opponent again, should it get past either South Korea or Senegal, but after it put forth an unconvincing group stage, the U.S.

has a navigable path to the quarterfinal.That is, if Mauricio Pochettino’s side can replicate its performance from the first two group games against better opponents under win-or-go-home pressure.“For us, we know they’re a young, talented and technical team,” Alex Freeman said of Bosnia, which went 1-1-1 to finish third in Group B.“They’re very direct, just like us.

In their past games, they’ve had talented youngsters — I’ve played with some of their players at youth level, so I know these guys are technical.They’re very aggressive as well.“We’re going against something that’s somewhat similar to us in some ways, but also different.

Maybe they’re more direct with long balls.We’ve got to go over the film and see exactly what they like to do.” Built for match days and everyday wear, this officially licensed USMNT tee brings classic national pride wherever you go.

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