10-man USA stun Bosnia 2-0 as Pulisic defends Balogun's controversial red card

The United States reached the World Cup 2026 round of 16 despite finishing with ten men, defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on Wednesday. Folarin Balogun was sent off with 26 minutes remaining, but Malik Tillman’s set-piece goal put the result beyond doubt and the U.S. held firm to advance.

Balogun’s red card arrived at the worst possible moment — shortly after the U.S. had dominated the opening exchanges of the second half while leading 1-0 from the break. The dismissal immediately raised the prospect of a nervous finish, and Balogun’s suspension now hangs over the squad ahead of their next fixture.

Christian Pulisic, speaking after the final whistle, was unequivocal in his defence of his teammate. “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,” Pulisic said. “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.”

Rather than retreating into a defensive shell, the U.S. continued to press forward after the dismissal — a decision that was vindicated when Tillman converted from a set piece. Pulisic was full of praise for the midfielder. “That’s what he does. It was special,” he said, admitting he had been tracking a potential rebound and did not see the full sequence.

Pulisic reflected on the message shared during a hydration break after Balogun’s dismissal. “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 victory sets up a rematch with Belgium — the side that eliminated the U.S. in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup. The two teams will meet at Seattle Stadium, with the Americans looking to match their longest run at the World Cup in the modern era and reach the quarterfinals for the first time.