Amerika Serikat Hadapi Bosnia dan Herzegovina di Babak 32 Besar

Tim nasional Amerika Serikat bersiap melakoni laga krusial babak 32 besar Piala Dunia 2026 melawan Bosnia dan Herzegovina di Levi's Stadium, San Francisco Bay Area, California, pada Rabu malam waktu setempat untuk memperebutkan tiket ke babak 16 besar.

Pertandingan ini menjadi ujian berat bagi tim tuan rumah setelah berhasil menjuarai Grup D melalui kemenangan atas Paraguay dan Australia, meski sempat mengistirahatkan pilar penting saat kalah dari Turki di laga terakhir grup.

Pelatih kepala Amerika Serikat, Mauricio Pochettino, mengingatkan anak asuhnya untuk tidak jemawa meskipun publik dan portofolio pemain lebih mengunggulkan timnya dibandingkan sang lawan yang lolos sebagai peringkat ketiga terbaik.

"The last few days, [look] how difficult it was for everyone, you know? I think it's probably better to talk [about favorites] after, no?" kata Mauricio Pochettino, Pelatih Kepala Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Pochettino kemudian mengingatkan serangkaian hasil mengejutkan di turnamen ini, termasuk saat Paraguay menumbangkan Jerman dan Maroko mengalahkan Belanda.

"We need to be careful when we say, 'OK, one is favorite and the other one, no,'" tambah Mauricio Pochettino, Pelatih Kepala Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Demi menjaga stabilitas tim, Pochettino menekankan pentingnya ketenangan emosional kepada para pemainnya berdasarkan nasihat dari rekannya yang juga juara Piala Dunia 1986, Jorge Valdano.

"I remember one day talking [to him] and he said to me, 'Mauricio, relaxation brings concentration,'" kenang Mauricio Pochettino, Pelatih Kepala Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Pochettino berharap anak asuhnya bisa bermain lepas tanpa tekanan berat saat memasuki fase gugur yang kerap menyulitkan sejarah sepak bola Amerika Serikat.

"Look: In soccer and in football an unpredictable thing can happen. We try to reduce that, but we need to approach it like we were approaching the last few games. It's going there and trying to play free and with responsibility," tutur Mauricio Pochettino, Pelatih Kepala Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Di kubu pemain, penyerang bintang Christian Pulisic menyatakan kesiapannya untuk kembali bermain sejak menit awal setelah pulih dari cedera betis kiri yang sempat membatasi menit bermainnya di fase grup.

"It's a World Cup. You're never going to get the so-called favorite winning every single time. This is soccer.

This is the way things go. You can defend all game and win in the penalty kick shootout; that's the beauty of the game. So we have to be ready for whatever's to come.

We don't think it's going to be easy, by any means." kata Christian Pulisic, Penyerang Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Pulisic menambahkan bahwa timnya memiliki banyak cara untuk membongkar pertahanan rapat lawan tanpa harus menjadi tim yang monoton.

"There's a lot of different ways. I'm not going to give away our whole plan, but yeah, not just being one-dimensional, moving the ball, and trying to find ways to break through." ujar Christian Pulisic, Penyerang Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Sementara itu, bek tengah Chris Richards bersama tiga pemain lain yaitu Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, dan Folarin Balogun diproyeksikan kembali mengisi jajaran utama setelah terbebas dari ancaman akumulasi kartu kuning.

"We know that how we've played so far throughout the tournament has been very successful, so we're going to try to stick to that." kata Chris Richards, Bek Tengah Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Richards juga menegaskan kesiapannya untuk meredam penyerang veteran Bosnia, Edin Dzeko, yang dikenal memiliki pengalaman panjang di level internasional.

"I've played some experienced strikers in my career. He's a guy that I think might be Bosnia's kind of figurehead, when you think of their international soccer team. For me, it's making sure that I don't get kind of dragged into his games.

Obviously, he's [been] at the top level for a reason for a long time, so it's making sure that I do what I do best, which is [to] frustrate people. Ultimately, I plan on coming out on top of that battle." tegas Chris Richards, Bek Tengah Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Kapten tim nasional Amerika Serikat, Tim Ream, secara mengejutkan mengaku tidak merasakan tekanan berlebih menjelang pertandingan hidup mati ini.

"Would it be weird if I told you I don't really feel too much pressure at this minute? It feels very different this time around." aku Tim Ream, Kapten Timnas Amerika Serikat.

Di sisi lain, dilansir dari beIN SPORTS, pelatih kepala Bosnia dan Herzegovina, Sergej Barbarez, diprediksi menerapkan formasi 4-4-2 dengan menduetkan Edin Dzeko dan Ermedin Demirovic di lini depan guna meredam agresivitas tuan rumah.