Who does USMNT play next? Confirmed USA World Cup knockout schedule, bracket path after beating Bosnia
Bullet point summary by AI
- The USMNT advanced to the World Cup round of 16 with a resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia despite playing ten men for the final half hour.
- This knockout stage marks a chance for redemption as the team prepares to face a familiar European opponent from a previous high-stakes encounter.
- A victory in this rematch would set up a quarterfinal clash against one of the tournament’s top contenders, keeping a deep World Cup run firmly within reach.
The USMNT is moving on to the round of 16 at the World Cup. They just had to overcome one of the worst referee decisions in the tournament to do it. USA beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 despite playing with 10 men for the final half hour of play.
First-half goalscorer Folarin Balogun was shown a red card after VAR review, putting the Americans under pressure to protect their 1-0 lead. Instead, they added to it on Malik Tillman’s free-kick goal. After that dramatic defense, Mauricio Pochettino’s men are looking at a matchup with a European nation they’ve met in the round of 16 before.
Who does USMNT play next at the World Cup?
It’s a revenge game for the United States, with Belgium up next in the round of 26.
While they hadn’t won a knockout stage game since 2002, arguably the most impressive knockout performance this century for the USMNT came against Belgium in 2014. Tim Howard made 16 saves as the Americans forced extra time against the favored Belgians. Kevin De Bruyne broke the deadlock in the 93rd minute while Romelu Lukaku found the goal in the 105th. Julian Green responded almost immediately for the U.S. with a goal in the 107th but the Americans couldn’t find another before time ran out.
For many USMNT fans, that game will be remembered as much for Chris Wondolowski’s miss as Howard’s immense performance. Just before the end of regulation, Wondo got an enormous chance all wrong. With only the keeper to beat, he put his shot at the top of the six-yard box well over the bar. A better shot would have given the USA a legendary victory.
Now, this current crop of American stars has the chance to avenge that loss.
USA World Cup schedule
|
Round |
Date and Time |
Location |
Potential Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Round of 16 |
Mon., July 6, at 8 p.m. ET |
Seattle |
Belgium |
|
Quarterfinals |
Fri., July 10, at 3 p.m. ET |
Los Angeles |
Spain/Austria or Portugal/Croatia |
|
Semifinals |
Tue., July 14 at 3 p.m. ET |
Dallas |
Paraguay/France or Canada/Morocco |
|
Final |
Sun., July 19 at 3 p.m. ET |
New York/New Jersey |
Brazil, Norway, Mexico, England, Argentina, Cape Verde, Australia, Egypt, Switzerland, Algeria, Colombia, Ghana |
A win over Belgium would put the United States into the quarterfinals with a high likelihood of facing a powerhouse. Spain and Portugal are favored to win their round of 32 matchups with Croatia and Austria, respectively. Should the USA pull off the ultimate upset, they’d win the right to take on another set of big dogs: Likely one of France or Morocco. And if the miracles kept coming, a trip to the World Cup Final could mean a matchup with Argentina, England, or Brazil.
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