The U.S. men’s national team swiftly handled Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night, with goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman to secure a 2–0 win at Levi’s Stadium. The win marked the USMNT’s first victory in a World Cup knockout game since the run to the quarterfinals in 2002. The Red, White and Blue now turn their attention to a round of 16 clash against Belgium on Monday in Seattle. After a stingy first half, the USMNT finally found the breakthrough in the 45th minute. Balogun took advantage of a defender’s misstep, before slotting a finish through Nikola Vasilj’s legs just minutes before the interval. It was far from all good news for Balogun, though, as the elusive forward picked up a controversial red card in the 64th minute for stepping on an opposing player’s Achilles and folding his ankle awkwardly. After a lengthy video review, the match official, Juan Soto, determined that Balogun had committed a serious foul. Despite playing with 10 men for the rest of the match, the USMNT extended the lead to 2–0 on Tillman’s free kick, which snuck past Vasilj in the 82nd minute, icing the win and sending the USMNT to the last 16, the stage where the team has crashed out at the 2010, 2014 and 2022 World Cups. Before the focus turns to Belgium—who came back from a late 2–0 deficit to defeat Senegal 3–2—and how the USMNT will fare without its best goalscorer, Sports Illustrated takes a look at every player who saw the pitch on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif.WIN FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ FINAL TICKETS & OTHER PRIZESCompete against the world. | SPORTS ILLUSTRATEDThe One Thing We Can’t IgnoreMauricio Pochettino didn’t make a change until the final minutes. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports IllustratedWhen the USMNT fell to 10 men, manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to shake up his lineup despite searing heat in California and added strain to his players. It took until the 87th minute for the manager to make his first of three substitutions, and while it didn’t prove problematic, it is not a good habit to form. Bosnia and Herzegovina were not at a level that could punish a well-organized USMNT despite the personnel advantage, but Belgium under manager Rudi Garcia could prove a much different challenge. With five substitutes available, it is nearly malpractice not to make a change earlier, especially with the game in the balance. Will Pochettino adjust accordingly, or is he pipped to get out-coached by Garcia this weekend? USMNT Player Ratings vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (4-1-4-1)Christian Pulisic didn’t have the most eventful day against Bosnia and Herzegovina. | Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated*Ratings provided by FotMob*GK: Matt Freese—8.0: It wasn’t an exceptionally-busy night for the USMNT backstop, but he stood tall when needed and helped see out the victory. RB: Alex Freeman—7.7: A brave showing in the late stages before Tillman extended the lead, Freeman had one of his best defensive games of the tournament. CB: Chris Richards—7.4: Tasked with handling the towering Bosnian attackers, Richards brought a physically imposing presence in one of his better defensive showings to date. He finished the night with a whopping eight headed clearances. CB: Tim Ream—7.6: Even as Bosnia and Herzegovina subbed on more talented and feisty attackers later on, Ream stayed in control and worked well with Richards.LB: Antonee Robinson—7.8: When the USMNT fell to 10 men, the Fulham fullback reverted into a more defined back four in possession and helped his side see out the final result. CDM: Tyler Adams—7.1: While it was an uneventful afternoon for Adams, that’s all one can ask for from the reliable midfielder, who made no mistakes in the center of the park.RM: Sergiño Dest—6.9: Dest offered a strong defensive side when the USMNT dropped to a 10-man unit, but struggled to create anything going forward. CM: Weston McKennie—7.7: The Juventus star was among the best players on the pitch, offering a threatening outlook whenever he was on the ball and forming a potent partnership with Malik Tillman. CM: Malik Tillman—8.5: The free kick was off from where he had hoped to place it, but a lucky bounce came at the right time. Outside of the goal, he was a vital piece of the midfield buildup and limited Bosnia and Herzegovina’s opportunities. LM: Christian Pulisic—7.2: Tasked with being the creative force, Pulisic struggled to beat defenders in wide areas, but drew attention to open up spaces for Tillman and McKennie to operate. ST: Folarin Balogun—6.9: It wasn't the day Balogun would have imagined, and the USMNT will miss him against Belgium, but his goal still stood as the winner in the historic match. SUB: Sebastian Berhalter (88’ for Dest)—N/A: Helped see out the lead, and completed four of five passes.SUB: Ricardo Pepi (88’ for Pulisic)—N/A: Had eight touches and will likely start on Monday.SUB: Gio Reyna (90’ for McKennie)—N/A: Touched the ball three times and gave it away twice. Subs not used: Matt Turner (GK), Chris Brady (GK), Auston Trusty, Joe Scally, Miles Robinson, Brenden Aaronson, Max Arfsten, Tim Weah, Alex Zendejas, Haji WrightWhat the Ratings Tell UsMalik Tillman (left) was the best player on the pitch for the USMNT. | Kohjiro Kinno/ Sports IllustratedMalik Tillman can be a creative force and has a skillful set-piece side to his game. His goal stood out but so too did his five passes into the final third and six touches in the opposition penalty area. The center backs had a good day, which is welcome news for Chris Richards and Tim Ream, who will be confident against the physical force of Romelu Lukaku at some point in Seattle. Bosnia was unimaginative. The USMNT had no problems seeing out the lead and showed strong defensive structure to limit Bosnian possibilities. The Numbers That Explain the Historic VictoryLimiting shots from key areas was critical for the USMNT and much of that came down to its structured defensive lines, which forced Bosnia and Herzegovina to send hopeful balls into the penalty area. The visitors walked away with just three shots on target out of 10 total taken.Offsides positioning continues to be an issue for the USMNT, with three offsides calls compared to Bosnia’s zero. The offsides flag cancelled out two USMNT goals in plays where the extra few inches of positioning did not provide an ample advantage. It has become a common occurrence, particularly for Balogun.StatisticUSMNTBosnia and HerzegovinaPossession48%52%Expected Goals (xG)0.920.25Total Shots810Shots on Target23Big Chances10Passing Accuracy83%82%Fouls Committed713Offsides30Corners43READ THE LATEST USMNT NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FCAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow