The U.S. Men’s National Team will return to FIFA World Cup action on Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif. It’s set to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 — the first one-off, do-or-die knockout stage of the tournament.
The rules of this stage are simple: The USMNT will advance with a win and end its World Cup entirely with a loss.
What’s Bosnia and Herzegovina’s World Cup story?
Bosnia and Herzegovina sent players to early World Cups as a part of Yugoslavia, but its first World Cup appearance as an independent nation came in Brazil in 2014. It was eliminated in the group stage with three points to its name, but it did manage a famous 3-1 win over Iran along the way, with veteran striker Edin Dzeko scoring the nation’s first World Cup goal.
How did it qualify for this World Cup?
With a whole lot of drama. After churning through several coaches early on in the World Cup cycle, Bosnia and Herzegovina rallied itself around coach Sergej Barbarez and finished second in its European qualifying group featuring Austria, Romania, Cyprus and San Marino. That earned it a spot in the European World Cup playoffs, where it faced heavyweights Wales and Italy in twin do-or-die knockout games. It won both on penalties to seal its World Cup berth against the odds.