By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Martin Meissner
Team USA defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 on Wednesday afternoon to advance to the Round of 16 in the 2026 World Cup qualifying.
United States had a starting lineup of Matt Freese, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Alex Freeman, Antonee Robinson, Malik Tillman, Tyler Adams, Westin McKenzie, Sergino Dest, Folarin Balogun, and Christian Pulisic.
Team USA showed a lot of grit, tenacity, and resilience to win this game. They earned it. It’s the USA’s first knockout-stage win since 2002. Ball gun scored the first goal of the game around the 44-minute mark. It was a terrific striker’s goal. Tillman delivered the second goal of the game at the 81:27 mark. His shot sent the crowd into a frenzy, and his teammates celebrated with him as they looked out at the crowd.
The stadium was electric. Intense focus and Great ball movement by Ream. The first goal was impressive, but the second one was a piece of genius and a beautiful way to put the ball in the net. USA played the style of soccer that makes their team tough to beat. We hope to see this kind of performance from Team USA in the next matchup.
One of the best moments of the game, or perhaps the most touching scene of the game, is when fans, players, and coaches all sing together to John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after the victory. Denver is one of the greatest country artists of his generation, and that song is one of his top hits. It was nice to hear them sing that song.
The United States will play Belgium on Monday, looking to duplicate its performance from Wednesday afternoon. Belgium defeated Senegal to advance to the Round of 16.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports and @themmmjournal, LinkedIn: The MMM Journal, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina