Christian Pulisic Cleared to Start as U.S. Opens World Cup Knockouts Against Bosnia

The U.S. men’s national team rolled into the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup with good news and a tricky opponent. Christian Pulisic is healthy enough to start Wednesday night against Bosnia and Herzegovina after sitting out parts of the group stage with a lower-leg injury. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and Telemundo.

Mauricio Pochettino’s lineup shows a 3-4-2-1 shape with Pulisic and Folarin Balogun leading the attack. Balogun has two goals so far, which leads the team. Tim Ream, the Charlotte FC center back and the old head of the group, wears the captain’s armband. Matt Freese from NYCFC gets the start in goal.

Who else is in the mix

Tyler Adams (Red Bull New York) and Alex Freeman (Orlando City) came through MLS academies before moving up. Weston McKennie did the same at FC Dallas. The U.S. won Group D with wins over Paraguay and Australia, which let Pochettino rest a bunch of starters in a 3-2 loss to Turkey. That result didn’t matter much for seeding, but it gave the second unit some run.

Bosnia is rolling out a 5-3-2 with Sead Kolašinac, the former Arsenal guy, and Tarik Muharemović anchoring the back line. Edin Džeko is still the man up front. He’s got 73 international goals and just turned 40, but he can still punish a defense. Bosnia scored three against Qatar in the group stage, so the U.S. back line can’t sleep on them.

One sub to watch

Esmir Bajraktarević is on the bench for Bosnia. He’s a New England Revolution homegrown product who used to rep the U.S. before switching allegiances. That’s a narrative the broadcasters will hammer all night.

Bosnia got through as the third-place team in Group B. Not the most glamorous path, but knockout soccer doesn’t care about that. The winner here flies to Seattle for a Round of 16 date with Belgium on July 6. That’s a serious test, but you have to get through Wednesday first.