Although the U.S. men’s national team ended an otherwise emphatic World Cup group stage performance on a whimper, the squad has lost zero faith in making a deep run in the knockout stages this summer.
In fact, manager Mauricio Pochettino was baffled that anybody’s else faith might be wavering.
“At the moment, no one congratulate us on finishing first in a very difficult group,” Pochettino said to reporters right after the 3–2 loss to Türkiye in the group stage finale on Thursday. “Making history is winning the World Cup, not winning three games.”
The match was a dead rubber, as the USMNT had already clinched the top spot in Group D, and Türkiye was already packing its bags for home. As a result, Pochettino implemented a drastically rotated lineup, including nine new tournament starters. Türkiye may have walked away with a consolation win, but the U.S. walked away without any injuries to its star players or yellow card suspensions—the real victory in Pochettino’s mind, ahead of facing Bosnia & Herzegovina in the round of 32 on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Pochettino will need to reverse a lot of those changes to his lineup in order to avoid the same porousness on defense and half-hearted offensive movements that led to Türkiye’s rather inevitable win.
Here, Sports Illustrated predicts the USMNT’s starting lineup for the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 32 match against Bosnia.
USMNT Predicted Lineup vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina—Round of 32
Bosnia used a 4-4-2 lineup all throughout the group stage. Although the USMNT alternated between formations in Group D play, Pochettino will likely employ a 4-2-3-1 on Wednesday, given it would allow the U.S. to overwhelm Bosnia in the center of the pitch and likely dominate possession through the middle channels.
31-year-old Matt Turner didn’t have a poor outing in between the sticks against Türkiye; however, it is evident that there is greater comfortability amongst the team when Matt Freese is manning the net. Turner also failed to step up for a massive save when his team desperately needed one, and at least one moment of brilliance is requisite in single-elimination play. Pochettino will know that it’s time to put Freese back into the starting lineup.
The dynamic and synchronized nature of the partnership that veteran captain Tim Ream and defensive stalwart Chris Richards form in the center of the backline did not become so abundantly clear until it was completely absent on Thursday, the pair replaced by second-string Miles Robinson and Mark McKenzie. The power duo will need to return to the starting lineup on Wednesday if Pochettino seeks to prevent Bosnian strikers from dancing around in the final third the way Turkish star Arda Güler did so gracefully.
Joe Scally and Auston Trusty served as Pochettino’s full backs last week, and although Trusty scored the U.S.’s first goal, neither of them earned a spot in the starting lineup moving forward. Both Antonee Robinson and Alex Freeman are much more dynamic on the flank and also better connected to the center backs when defending. The gaps of space between Trusty and Scally and their respective center backs were continuously exploited by Türkiye.
Weston McKennie was the only true starter that remained in the lineup last week, and although he donned the captain’s armband, he struggled to rally his troops and be the leader they needed. He will be relieved to be rejoined in the center of the pitch by defensive midfielder and more natural leader Tylers Adams—whose yellow card has now been cleared away—and Malik Tillman.
The most exciting aspect of the loss to Türkiye was the re-emergence of Christian Pulisic. The American superstar was injured in the World Cup opener against Paraguay, forcing him on the sideline for the bout against Australia; however, he was healthy enough to return to action in the second half of the group stage finale. Pulisic looked as if he hadn’t missed a beat, creating three opportunities in the final third within the first five minutes of being on the pitch. He is expected to return to the starting lineup this week at left winger and continue wreaking havoc on defenders.
Opposite Pulisic will be Sergiño Dest, who Pochettino has consistently relied upon higher up the pitch this summer even though he is traditionally a fullback. Dest’s savvy foot skills should frighten the Bosnians on the backline, and his ability to combine with McKennie specifically—often darting into space centrally while McKennie exploits the flanks—should put the Balkan nation under even more stress in the center of the pitch.
Aside from Pulisic, Folarin Balogun is Pochettino’s go-to goal scorer this summer, and U.S. fans everywhere will be eager to see him return to the starting lineup, especially after the brace he had against Paraguay. After all of this time to rest, Balogun will be even more fired up than usual to find the back of the net and put himself firmly back in the Golden Boot race.
