REUTERS/Pedro Nunes
Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup 2026 - Round of 32 - United States v Bosnia and Herzegovina - San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California, U.S. - July 1, 2026 U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino speaks to players during the first half hydration break
The U.S. Men’s National Team faced its first real bit of adversity in the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday night when Folarin Balogun received a red card in the 64th minute with the USMNT leading Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1-0.
The incident, which was highly controversial both at the time and in the aftermath, not only meant that the U.S. had to play the rest of the game with 10 men, but also that Balogun would be suspended for the Round of 16 should the Americans advance.
Not only was the USMNT able to hold on and defend its slim lead over the next 36 minutes, including stoppage time, but it also added to the lead with an incredible free kick from Malik Tillman in the 82nd minute.
“Malik Tillman, he’s got class. If there’s anyone on the field that can do that, and float it in to that top corner, it’s that man.” 🇺🇸@stuholden called it. Malik Tillman delivered. pic.twitter.com/GPeYCqB1hi
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 2, 2026
So, how was the U.S. able to recompose itself following the sending off? Well, you can thank manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Mauricio Pochettino Used Hydration Break To Steady USMNT After Red Card
Thankfully for the U.S., Balogun’s red card came just minutes before the second-half hydration break, which was added to the middle of each half in this World Cup under dubious circumstances.
During that brief break, Pochettino was able to speak to all of his players, and he delivered a message that will go down in USMNT history.
“We were talking in the cooling break about how now we need to show we are a team, that we are united, that was the moment to show that it’s not empty words, that we are a family,” Pochettino said when asked about the message after the game. “The team showed qualities to compete, to fight for each other.”
The United States isn’t going to make a deep run in the World Cup on individual quality alone. At least not at this point in the country’s soccer development.
However, the whole can often be greater than the sum of its parts, and that’s certainly true for this group. Meanwhile, Pochettino has clearly done an excellent job of getting that message across to his players.