Hard-fought win raises hopes for U.S. in World Cup

Geoff Bennett:

Well, let's turn now to the World Cup, where last night the U.S. men's team punched their ticket to the round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Soccer fans across the country celebrated the win, despite a controversial red card that will keep the team's top goal scorer out of the next game. It was the first victory for the American men in a knockout round of the World Cup since 2002, and it sets the stage for a Monday night matchup against Belgium.

To break it all down, we are joined once again by Leander Schaerlaeckens. He is soccer columnist at The Guardian and author of "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top or Thereabouts."

Leander, always good to see you. You got those books well placed behind you on that counter, friend.

So let's talk about this big win, this big U.S. win last night. How did the team get it done? And what does it mean for the men's team going forward?

Leander Schaerlaeckens, The Guardian:

Well, it's obviously huge, because if you don't win that game, you're out.

Going into this World Cup, the U.S. had entered a knockout game at the World Cup where losing would send them home eight times, won only once. And as you mentioned, that was 24 years ago. So they really, really needed this, but also they kind of had to break that spell a little bit.

They'd also gone 13 games without beating a European team. I think there was a pretty good sense that Bosnia was eminently beatable. And I think, on the whole, the U.S. outclassed them last night. They were just better all over the field.

But there was that complication of the red card handed out by the Brazilian referee to Folarin Balogun, who had scored the first goal for the U.S., who was an absolute pest up and down the field, and who's going to be very badly missed in that Round of 16 game against Belgium, because I don't think they have another player like him who can bring that kind of energy and those goals.

Geoff Bennett:

Yes, I mean, he, I think it's fair to say, is the best, most consistent attacking player on that team.

What did you make of the call? And I should also ask, is there any realistic path for that decision to be overturned by Monday?

Leander Schaerlaeckens:

Second part first. No, there is not. There is no appealing this decision. So, unfortunately, they will be without Balogun. They have other strikers in Haji Wright and Ricardo Pepi, but Balogun had been the hot hand, or the hot foot, I suppose, since we're talking soccer.

He'd been the guy who was in form. He was really combining beautifully with Christian Pulisic and Malik Tillman. The attack was flowing really well. And the play -- the call is really dubious. More often than not, I think that wouldn't be a red card. It's maybe a yellow card. He went up for a ball. He wasn't looking at the -- at his marker.

He accidentally kind of rakes his cleats down the back of his calf and onto his ankle. But he didn't mean to. It was a dangerous play, but it was really a very tough call to give him a red there and to send him home and to really meaningfully affect the rest of this tournament for the U.S., because now they face Belgium, a team that actually knocked the U.S. out of the 2014 World Cup with a bunch of players who are still there.

It's a very veteran team, very experienced team. And the last time the U.S. faced Belgium was in a friendly game in March, when the Belgians actually won 5-2.

Geoff Bennett:

So, let's talk about France, because France, they seem to be the team to beat. If there's any other team that's going to stop them, what might that team be? What do they have to do?

(LAUGHTER)

Leander Schaerlaeckens:

You may have to compile some kind of all-star team from players from other teams to go up against this France, because they have just been fantastic in this tournament.

They have won -- they have scored at least three goals in all of their games. They won very, very comfortably against Sweden in their own Round of 32 game. They are cruising. Mbappe is scoring. Michael Olise is possibly the best player of the tournament. And if it's not him, then it's Ousmane Dembele. So, really the three best players we have seen so far are all on France. They are on autopilot and they're doing really well.

Spain is looking good too. They beat Austria really comfortably earlier today. They're rounding into form, but they have a fairly tough path into the semifinals. They will face the winner of Croatia-Portugal, and after that, they would face the winner of Belgium against the United States.

Argentina, meanwhile, is possibly not as talented as the rest of some of the contenders, but they're very experienced. Messi is doing super well, and they have a much clearer path to the semifinals than any of the other heavyweights do in this tournament.

Geoff Bennett:

Leander, we have got about 30 seconds left, and I want to get to this question, because, leading up to the Cup, there was all of this skepticism about access and attendance and the atmosphere.

I remember a conversation on this very program with you about that very topic. We have now gotten some terrific soccer, some unforgettable moments. How did the World Cup change the narrative?

Leander Schaerlaeckens:

You know, the World Cup is always redeemed by the World Cup itself. That's the amazing thing about it. No matter how much controversy there is, somehow, once the games start and once we see all the beautiful goals and all the fun in the stands, everything else is forgotten.

And maybe that's not ideal, but that's how it goes every four years.

Geoff Bennett:

Leander Schaerlaeckens, author of "The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top or Thereabouts," always good to be with -- speak with you. Thanks for being with us.

Leander Schaerlaeckens:

Thank you.