USMNT faces Bosnia with 5-year winless streak against European foes

The United States enters the World Cup knockout stage Wednesday against Bosnia and Herzegovina carrying a five-year winless streak against European opposition, a 12-match run that threatens to derail Mauricio Pochettino's championship ambitions.

"Making history is winning the World Cup," Pochettino said, setting expectations far beyond simply advancing past the Round of 32 for a program that has won just one knockout match in its history — a 2-0 defeat of Mexico at the 2002 tournament.

The U.S. last beat a European team on Dec. 18, 2021, when it defeated Bosnia in a friendly. Since then, the Americans have registered two draws and 10 consecutive losses against European sides, falling to powers such as Germany and lesser-ranked teams including Slovenia. The World Cup drought against Europe extends even further: the U.S. has not beaten a European opponent at the tournament since defeating Portugal in 2002, a 13-match winless stretch.

Bosnia, ranked No. 64 in the world, presents a uniquely physical challenge. The Dragons committed 46 fouls during the group stage, the most of any team that reached the knockout round. Center back Tarik Muharemovic received a red card in the 80th minute against Switzerland for a dangerous tackle, while goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj sparked controversy after colliding with Canada's Tani Oluwaseyi on a clearance. The team reached the tournament by eliminating four-time champion Italy in the qualifying playoffs on penalties, with U.S.-born Esmir Bajraktarevic — known as the "Milwaukee Messi" — converting the decisive spot kick.

The European wall

The U.S. advanced atop Group D by defeating Paraguay and Australia before a rotated squad lost to Turkey in a meaningless group-stage finale. Folarin Balogun has scored two goals in the tournament and said the team is finding "another gear" for the knockout rounds. "It's crunch time," Balogun told reporters. "This is the business end and this is the stage where in my opinion, the big players step forward."

Opta gives the U.S. a 78.5 percent chance of advancing past Bosnia and a 42.5 percent likelihood of reaching the quarterfinals, which would likely require defeating Belgium in the Round of 16. The Americans are given a 2.5 percent probability of winning the tournament outright.

Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez offered a blunt assessment of his team's approach. "We will try to create problems," he said, "and of course win the game."

The match kicks off Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. A victory would set up a Round of 16 meeting with Belgium, which would be expected to defeat a third-place qualifier from Groups A, I or J. The U.S. has not reached the World Cup quarterfinals since 2002.

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