Soccer
USA played like champions with their backs against the wall
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When adversity is smacking you right in the face, you can do two things. Either accept it and go forward or get despondent and run away from it.
The United States chose the former on Wednesday night in defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 to advance to the Round of 16 on Monday against Belgium in Seattle.
At the 64" mark, Folarin Balogun, who scored the first goal for the US, was given a red card after a VAR review deemed he committed a serious enough offense, even though worse fouls have been committed throughout the FIFA World Cup, most notably on Lionel Messi in Argentina's first game against Algeria, which ended up being a no-call.
The US players could have hung their heads and just come to the realization they were going to be one person for at least 26 minutes, blown the lead, and head home for the remainder of the tournament. Instead, head coach Mauricio Pochettino gathered the troops and let them know they still had a game to win.
Initially, it took the US a few minutes to adjust to the fact that they were going to be playing with only 10 players. They adapted quickly and were able to find their groove, and started to control the defensive side of the field by keeping Bosnia mostly around midfield.
The great defense allowed the US to gain confidence. They started attacking on offense and had Bosnia on their heels to the point where a foul was finally called, and Malik Tillman was awarded a free kick. Tillman made the most of the opportunity with a beautiful kick to the left side of the goal to put the US up 2-0 at the 82" mark.
From there, the defense held in the 90+10" to give them their Knockout win in 24 years.
Everything was going against the US. But they played with a ton of heart and showed why you can never stop believing. They bit down on their mouthpieces and are now four games away from achieving their dream of winning the World Cup and this is the game they and the entire world will be talking about for years to come.
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