SouthernWorldwide.com – The path to a World Cup title for the United States Men’s National Team has become significantly clearer.
According to reports from The Athletic, there is now a greater than 99% probability that the U.S. will compete against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 next week. This likelihood was solidified after Bosnia and Herzegovina secured a 3-1 victory over Qatar on Wednesday.
Having successfully won Group D last week, the U.S. was slated to face the third-place finisher from another group. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s win confirmed their third-place standing in Group B, thereby setting up an almost certain encounter with the Stars and Stripes.
The Athletic’s analysis indicates that two other nations, Senegal and Austria, each have a less than 1% chance of being the U.S.’s opponent to commence the knockout stage.
A draw in the earlier matches would have presented a wider array of potential opponents. However, the current scenario appears to be the most favorable for the U.S. Bosnia and Herzegovina holds the 62nd rank in the FIFA rankings, while the United States is positioned at 14th. Qatar, unfortunately, has been eliminated from the tournament following their loss.
Before reaching this stage, the United States still has one more group play match against Türkiye. However, with the U.S. having already secured the top spot in their group and Türkiye being eliminated, this game is largely considered a formality, akin to a practice match.
The scheduling appears to be working out favorably for the American team. Should the U.S. advance to the Round of 16, they would face either the winner of Group G or another third-place team. Among all the potential opponents in that round, only Belgium, which currently requires a win and favorable results from other matches to top Group G, is ranked higher than the United States. Belgium holds the 10th position globally.
The U.S. is among the teams showing strong form in this World Cup, having scored six goals across their two matches. This tally already matches their highest goal count in the group stage, with one game still remaining.
The American team commenced their World Cup campaign with a decisive 4-1 victory over Paraguay. They followed this up with a 2-0 win against Australia, which confirmed their progression to the Round of 32. The U.S. secured the group’s top position when Paraguay defeated Türkiye later that same evening.
These victories marked a significant achievement for the U.S. men’s national team, as it was the first time they had won consecutive World Cup games since the tournament’s inception in 1930.
The upcoming match against Türkiye is scheduled to kick off at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday. The likely encounter against Bosnia and Herzegovina is slated for the following Wednesday, to be held in the Bay Area.
