SANTA CLARA, Ca. — This is the kind of gritty win that’s going to make the country go ga-ga for the U.S. men’s national team.
For those who haven’t already.
Playing with 10 men for the last 36 minutes because of a red card by Folarin Balogun, against a feisty Bosnia and Herzegovina team and with a ref who was overmatched, the USMNT played with the kind of moxy Americans love. Especially when it’s by athletes wearing U-S-A on their chest.
With a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, July 1, the USMNT won its first World Cup knockout round game since 2002, and only third ever. They moved on to the round of 16, where they will play Belgium on Monday, July 6 in Seattle.
Officially, the USMNT won this game because they defended their butts off — remember when the back line was considered suspect? — and Malik Tillman gave them breathing room with a dazzler of a goal in the 82nd minute, curling a free kick into the upper corner of the net. But it’s their tenacity that has them moving on, and it’s going to make their bandwagon tip over.
It’s a holiday weekend. The Fourth of July, no less. By the time Sunday night rolls around, this USMNT win is going to be the stuff of lore. They’ll have been playing with arms tied behind their backs, against Bosnia and Herzegovina players who are 7 feet tall. They’ll have been heavy underdogs, the plane reservations home already made.
That’s what we do as American sports fans. When we fall for a team, we go all in. A public that had already caught World Cup fever is going to love this team as if the players are their family members. Just look at the reaction in Levi’s Stadium. The USMNT spent about five minutes walking around the stadium and saluting the fans as “Country Roads” and “Free Bird” played. The stands remained full. Fans were on their feet, cheering and clapping.
The USMNT had said it wanted to do something special at this World Cup. Well, consider it done.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA just won the kind of game America can’t resist | Opinion
