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A dream start turned into a nightmare scenario for the United States in its round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday.
After leading 1-0 at the halftime break and dominating at the start of the second half, the United States' star striker Folarin Balogun was sent off with a red card and the U.S. went down to 10 men with 26 minutes left in the game, plus stoppage time.
The U.S. pulled through in the end, and even got an insurance goal from midfielder Malik Tillman, but it wasn't easy, and Balogun's impending suspension is weighing heavy on the United States' dressing room.
"We had to dig deep for that one, obviously," U.S. star Christian Pulisic told FOX Sports' Tom Rinaldi after the Americans' 2-0 win. "I felt like we put on such a good performance and didn’t deserve the red card. I mean, I didn’t see it, but it’s unfortunate.
"But for us to dig in deep like that and just to get another goal and to defend the way we did, it took a real team effort, but we’re proud of that."
While teams in similar situations have been known to sit deep and play defense, the U.S. remained solid defensively and continued to go forward and take chances when they came. It paid off with Tillman's set-piece goal.
"That's what he does. It was special," Pulisic said about Tillman's insurance goal, noting he'll have to watch the replay because he was following for a rebound and didn't see the whole sequence.
Pulisic added: "It didn't go exactly to plan with the red card. But that just shows what a good team we are. We said in the hydration break, this is what it takes to be a really strong team, and we were able to do it and pull out the result."
The United States men’s national team has now set up a rematch of the 2014 World Cup round of 16 against Belgium. This time, in 2026 and with the support of the home nation, the U.S. will play Belgium at Seattle Stadium as it looks to make history by matching its longest run at a World Cup in the modern era and advance to the quarterfinals.
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FIFA Men's World Cup 
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Folarin Balogun WC – United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 07/01/2026
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