The image is already burned into American soccer culture. Sixty-five thousand fans in Seattle, swaying and belting out John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” as the U.S. national team circled the field after beating Australia. Players stopped and just absorbed it. That moment wasn’t manufactured. It just happened. And now it’s become a postgame ritual nobody wants to stop.
The question Wednesday night in the Bay Area is whether they get to do it again. A win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 puts them through, and you can bet that song will be cranked up the second the final whistle blows. These players feed off that energy. They’ve admitted it. You can see it in the way they jog over to the supporters section after matches.
But let’s not pretend Bosnia is a layup just because they finished third in Group B. That would be a mistake. This is a team that knocked Italy out of World Cup qualifying. They’re experienced, physical and patient. Edin Džeko is still out there causing problems. Sead Kolašinac brings that no-nonsense edge. And they’ve got a bunch of guys playing in top European leagues who know how to sit deep, absorb pressure and hit you on the counter or from a set piece. The U.S. cannot afford to sleepwalk through the opening 20 minutes.
Why the U.S. Should Feel Confident
Still, on paper, the Americans are the better team. They showed it against Paraguay and Australia. They forced own goals. They pressed high. They made life miserable for opponents. And in the group finale against Turkey, even with mostly backups on the field, Auston Trusty scored off a corner and the team looked sharp early. That loss to Turkey doesn’t mean much. Mauricio Pochettino rested nearly the entire starting XI, nobody picked up a yellow card suspension, and Christian Pulisic got some much-needed minutes as he works back from a knock. That’s a win in itself.
Weston McKennie wearing the captain’s armband against Turkey was telling. He’s stepped up in a real way this tournament. Not just with his play but with how he’s carrying himself. The team responds to him. That matters in knockout soccer.
The Path Opens Up
Win Wednesday and it gets real interesting. A Round of 16 matchup against Belgium or Senegal in Seattle on July 6. A potential quarterfinal in Los Angeles against Spain. Maybe a semifinal in Dallas against France or Morocco. That’s the kind of run that defines a generation of players. The kind that gets your face on magazine covers and your name mentioned alongside the 2002 team that made the quarterfinals.
Nobody in that locker room is looking past Bosnia. But the fans can dream. And honestly, after what this team has shown so far, dreaming doesn’t feel ridiculous. It feels reasonable.
It starts Wednesday night. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, Telemundo and Peacock. The crowd will be loud. The pressure will be real. And if it goes the way the U.S. hopes, you’ll hear John Denver echoing across the Bay Area long after midnight.
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