For the USMNT; the stakes are high in more ways than one.

Mauricio Pochettino knows the stakes of Tuesday’s Round of 32 match vs Bosnia & Herzegovina. Despite its status as the favorite, the USMNT’s only knockout win came in 2002 over Mexico. U.S. fans have grown up in a world of close calls and extra time losses, including the heartbreak R16 losses to Ghana and Belgium in 2008 and 2012. There is some misplaced hubris out there but the USMNT do have a major test on their hands. 

Bosnia has shown the ability to pull off the upset and has the talent to counter effectively if teams take the bait. Sergej Barbarez has his team playing in a well-organized 4-4-2 that loves to score on set pieces and corner kicks.

That being said, if the U.S. attacks Bosnia with the intensity it did against Paraguay and Australia— with the added benefit of a healthy Christian Pulisic — then they should have as much success as Switzerland in hitting Bosnia for 4 goals over the last 15 minutes of Matchday 2.

Off the pitch, it’s fitting that this pivotal Round of 32 match takes place just one day after the Supreme Court presided over a case that threatened to end the idea of the American Dream. Both Bosnia and the U.S. benefit from the dreams and ideals laid bare in the 14th Amendment. A generation of Bosnian-Americans have grown up through that reality. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the current U.S. regime wouldn’t have been so welcoming to a group of mainly Muslim refugees fleeing religious persecution. 

In a 2026 where a growing number of Americans have been emboldened to see the country as anything other than a land of opportunity, even in the face of countless communities where refugees and immigrants have improved the fabric of the communities around them. Wisconsin native Esmir Bajraktarević is proof that the system works, proof that our communities can be a landing pad for people in hopeless times.

However, it’s also a reminder of the work we have to do to provide opportunities. The landscape has improved drastically since the likes of Weston McKennie and others had to leave the American developmental system to reach the top of their game.

Of course, Bajraktarević came up through a much more mature system. He didn’t need the Schalke Academy step before moving to Europe as a bona fide contributor, but he did need to move. The current resources for top-level soccer aren’t enough for top-level prospects in Bajraktarević’s hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin. A move to New England later, and the teenager skyrocketed into the feed of European scouts and ultimately a BIH federation in the process of widening their net to catch the talents of their increasingly global diaspora.

No longer is international football a group of guys who grew up on the same block, over the past 16+ years it’s become a celebration of the ties that connect players to a country that they may have never stepped foot in until the federation came calling and because of that, the level has increased across the board and players like Folarin Balogun — born in New York but overwhelmingly a product of the Arsenal academy system — are leading a U.S. striker pool that would be somewhat tragic without his presence. 

If the USMNT can continue to find unprecedented success in this tournament, it’s paramount to remember that those who want to propagandize these players’ success are the same ones who want to destroy the very values that have driven WNT & MNT success.

Alright, kickoff is at 7 PM central, the mood around St. Louis is both celebratory and anxious... We'll talk soon.