USA VS Bosnia and Herzegovina

USA's Fresh Motivation & Home Advantage The United States entered the knockout stage after confidently winning Group D under Mauricio Pochettino. • Squad Rotation: Having secured advancement early with convincing wins over Paraguay (4-1) and Australia (2-0), Pochettino heavily rotated his squad in a 3-2 group-finale loss to Turkey. This means the preferred starting eleven enters this single-elimination match with highly fresh legs. • The Return of Pulisic: Captain Christian Pulisic is fully fit after a minor calf issue limited his minutes against Turkey. Alongside in-form striker Folarin Balogun, the U.S. attacking unit has plenty of chemistry and pace, which will be amplified by a passionate home crowd. Bosnia and Herzegovina's Resilient Run Reaching the knockout phase is a historic milestone for Bosnia and Herzegovina, advancing as one of the best third-place teams out of Group B (1W-1L-1D). • Mixed Group Stage: The Dragons showed flexibility throughout the group stages—drawing 1-1 with Canada, suffering a heavy 4-1 loss to Switzerland, and bouncing back with a clinical 3-1 victory against Qatar to break a lengthy winless spell. • The Defensive Plan: While their defense has occasionally been shaky under pressure, they are anchored by an imposing, physical center-back trio featuring Sead Kolašinac (Atalanta), Nikola Katić (Schalke 04), and Tarik Muharemović (Sassuolo). Facing a superior technical side like the USA, expect manager Sergej Barbarez to set up a deep defensive block designed to absorb pressure and launch rapid counterattacks through veteran Edin Džeko.