The Americans showed character in the 1/8-final match of the 2026 World Cup

 SAN FRANCISCO STADIUM — What does it say about this U.S. men's national team that they can lose their best striker and scorer and then come together and, in the final 36 minutes, not only keep the lead, but extend it and not concede a goal? "Would it be weird if I said I wasn't impressed? That it didn't surprise me at all?" — Captain Tim Ream smiled when asked about this after the U.S. beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in the round of 16 of the World Cup. “It was a simple situation for us, we were all calm and knew what to do,” added Ream. It was the first time the U.S. won in the knockout stages of the World Cup in 24 years, with the team last advancing to the quarterfinals in 2002. And it's a historic performance, not just because they won the qualifying match - or because they beat a European opponent for the first time in 12 attempts - but also because of the way they did it. Folarin Balogun scored his third goal of the tournament just before the break to give the team a 1-0 lead. However, the match took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute when the referee showed Balogun a red card after a VAR review overturned the referee's earlier decision. This decision shocked the bench and the overwhelming number of American fans in the stadium, forcing the team to play short. Despite this, the Americans remained calm. “The fact that we didn't break down in a difficult situation, the fact that we had faith and that we were able to keep our cool in those moments, that's very important,” Tyler Adams said. "We have had situations in the past where we have broken down. But this team, because of the respect we show for each other, how we support each other during the match, each of us can do something extra, that's what we needed," added Adams. Two years ago at Copa America, Tim Weah was shown a red card in the 18th minute in the match against Panama, which turned out to be a disaster for the Americans. After this match, the team's weaknesses were revealed, as they could not cope with difficult situations at all and as a result, they did not get out of the group at home, and coach Gregg Berhalter was fired. The new coach, Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the team a few months later, worked to make the team more resistant to pressure. "The way we train, the way we talk to each other, the atmosphere in the team, the way we fight, the intensity we have, both with and without the ball - all this helps us not surprise ourselves in such situations," Tim Ream listed the reasons for his confidence. "Today we had incredible concentration. And it's hard to describe it, but when you are on the pitch you can see in the eyes of your teammates that they have the same determination. That's why even with ten players we felt comfortable," added Ream. “We didn't feel panic, we were calm and focused,” Ream concluded. Twenty minutes after Balogun's red card, the Americans took a free kick just outside the rivals' penalty area. Malik Tillman and Antonee Robinson were in possession of the ball, and Tyler Adams was on top of all the confusion in the opponent's wall. Tillman took a free throw that went perfectly into the goal, giving the Americans a 2-0 lead. It was Tillman's first goal in the World Championship. “This match showed our character, that we will always fight until the end,” Tillman said after the match. USA inćwierćfinale zagrają z Belgią. --- ## Related Articles 1. [HLV Ronald Koeman sau khi-ha-lan-bi-morocco-loai-tai-world-cup-2026] 2. [Messi and Ronaldo, History Continues to be Made in the World Cup 2026](https://azkalsgoal.com/fil/news/messi-and-ronaldo-patuloy-ang-pantuloy-ng-kasyashina-sa-world-cup-2026)