Player Ratings: No panic in this US group as they strangle the life out of Bosnia's attack
This US team has hit a level of talent, structure and execution that's making it fair to dream of a run to the quarters – or beyond
Here is the best compliment I have ever given any version of the US men's national team: In the 64th minute of Wednesday night's win over Bosnia & Herzegovina, when the ref showed Folarin Balogun a red card, it induced zero panic in me. None.
So thorough was the US's control of that contest, and so obvious was the mastery of their roles within Mauricio Pochettino's system (which – and I will write more on this once the tournament's over – is merely an iteration on the superstructure Gregg Berhalter built from 2019 to 2024), that I could see no real way through for the Dragons.
And the Dragons are a good team! They're in the World Cup because they beat Italy, and while Italy aren't what they used to be, that's not nothing. They were in the knockout rounds because they did enough against a very good Canada side, and then by mauling a very bad Qatar side on the final day to punch their ticket. Truly, of the 360 minutes they played in this tournament, I'd say only 20 of them (the final 20 against Switzerland) were Actually Bad.
At no point on Wednesday against the US were they Actually Bad, and it just didn't matter. The US had a talent advantage, yes, but they also had structural and execution advantages that were strangling the life out of the underdogs:
- In the first 25 minutes Bosnia & Herzegovina completed 23 passes.
- In the first half they generated one box entry.
- Up until that chancer of a ref showed red, B&H had generated 0.04 xG.
This was fixing to be a methodical, comprehensive beating – big brother holding little brother at bay with one arm kind of stuff. The Dragons are well-drilled and resilient and tough and they had absolutely nothing against the US. Nothing.
