By Daniel Akinte
The United States‘ (USA) historic 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina was met with a wave of praise from fans and pundits, who lauded the team’s resilience while also debating Folarin Balogun’s controversial sending-off and the challenge that awaits against Belgium in the World Cup round of 16.
However, the victory came the hard way after Balogun was shown a straight red card in the 64th minute for a challenge on Tarik Muharemović, forcing Mauricio Pochettino’s men to play more than 30 minutes with 10 players.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the USA held firm to seal a memorable victory and set up a last-16 showdown with Belgium in Seattle.
Speaking after the match, captain Christian Pulisic praised his teammates for digging deep in difficult circumstances.
“We had to dig deep for that one. We put on such a good performance and we didn’t deserve the red card. For us to get another goal and defend the way we did took a real team effort,” he said.
He added that the players reminded one another during a hydration break that overcoming adversity “is what it takes to be a strong team.”
That fighting spirit quickly became the dominant theme among supporters
Guardian live commentator Beau Dure described the performance as a victory built on determination rather than flair, arguing that the Americans answered long-standing questions about whether they could win ugly when the pressure was highest.
“The question on this golden generation has never been about skill,” Dure wrote after the final whistle. “It’s been about finding a way to win the tough games, the rough games. They just answered that question.”
Before kick-off, Dure had argued that the United States often produce their best performances when they enter matches as underdogs rather than favourites, recalling memorable results against England, Portugal, Italy and Spain.
Former US midfielder Dax McCarty echoed that caution during Fox Sports’ pre-match coverage, reminding viewers not to underestimate Bosnia after Paraguay had stunned Germany earlier in the tournament.
The Balogun dismissal, however, dominated post-match discussion
Many supporters believed the Monaco striker was unfortunate to receive a straight red card, insisting the challenge on Muharemović appeared accidental rather than malicious.
Earlier in the match, Balogun had also seen a goal ruled out for offside and unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty after what live commentary described as a “rugby tackle” inside the area.
Dure, himself a qualified referee, questioned several officiating decisions throughout the contest, including repeated fouls on Pulisic that went unpunished.
“What a solid performance overall, and particularly impressive after going down a man,” wrote Alexander Whitney. “But our attack will likely be seriously blunted without having Balogun available against Belgium.”
Farhan also believes Belgium will provide the USA’s toughest challenge of the tournament despite the Red Devils needing a dramatic extra-time comeback to beat Senegal.
“I think USA have enjoyed a somewhat easier pathway to the last 16,” he wrote. “Belgium may be the toughest team they’ll face so far. The Belgians did not necessarily deserve to win against Senegal, which makes me think USA could possibly edge it.”
While many celebrated the victory, some supporters injected humour. Andreas Agduyeng joked that every time he sees the abbreviation “USMNT”, he immediately thinks of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while Liisa Sletzinger mixed football with politics in an emotional post criticising both FIFA and the US government.
Other fans discussed everything from “Bend It Like Beckham to California’s Great America” amusement park near Levi’s Stadium, reflecting the lively atmosphere surrounding the knockout tie.
The celebrations continued after the final whistle as fans inside the stadium joined the players in singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” with Pochettino embracing his coaching staff before joining in.
Attention now turns to Seattle, where the United States will renew their rivalry with Belgium in a repeat of the 2014 World Cup round-of-16 meeting.
Belgium eliminated Senegal in dramatic fashion to reach the tie, while the Americans will head into the contest without leading scorer Balogun but with renewed belief after ending a 24-year wait for a World Cup knockout victory.
