{"id":792,"date":"2026-07-02T17:08:40","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792"},"modified":"2026-07-02T17:08:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T17:08:40","slug":"the-u-s-mens-soccer-team-is-rewriting-its-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
You\u2019re reading The Sporting Scene<\/strong>, Louisa Thomas\u2019s weekly look at the world of sports.<\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The video was clear; the moment rarely is. In the sixty-fourth minute of the U.S. men\u2019s national team\u2019s game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, Folarin Balogun, the U.S.\u2019s breakout-star striker, who, in the first half, had scored the lone goal of the game to put the hosts up 1\u20130, lunged for a loose ball up the left sideline, jostling for position with Tarik Muharemovi\u0107, Bosnia\u2019s center back. Balogun splayed his legs to keep his balance, and his right foot raked down the back of Muharemovi\u0107\u2019s calf before landing on Muharemovi\u0107\u2019s ankle. It was, at regular speed in the flow of the game, a normal foul, unintentional contact in a physical game. But the rule does not make allowances for intention, and the game is not judged in real time.<\/p>\n

Read more Why Have Liberals Abandoned a Moral Reading of the Constitution?<\/a><\/p>\n

As Muharemovi\u0107 came to the ground, in obvious distress, word of a video review came from the sideline. At home, tens of millions of American fans had the chance to watch the replay, slowed down with evidentiary precision. The likelihood of a red card for a \u201cserious foul\u201d increased with every Zapruder image. The still photos were particularly damning: Balogun\u2019s foot perched atop Muharemovi\u0107\u2019s awkwardly bent ankle. So Balogun was gone\u2014given a straight red card. He stood stunned on the field for another fifteen or twenty seconds as his teammates\u2014and even a Bosnian player\u2014walked over to console him, before he headed toward the tunnel, leaving the Americans down a man with thirty minutes to go.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Already, the World Cup had seemed to be spinning off its axis. At the start of the week, Germany was eliminated by a Paraguay team that the U.S. had easily handled in its opener. Then the Netherlands was swept aside by Morocco. And, just a few hours before the U.S. game, England had barely squeezed by D.R. Congo, saved by a spectacular goal off the foot of Harry Kane in the final minutes. Now the U.S., playing in front of a wildly partisan crowd in Santa Clara, California, who had come into the game against Bosnia as favorites, found themselves, in the flash of a red card, in the more familiar position of underdogs.<\/p>\n

Balogun, after all, had emerged as the team\u2019s newest star, a striker who had the strength to stand his ground in the box and the technique to finish with skill and \u00e9lan. He\u2019d almost scored a beauty thirty-one minutes in, after Weston McKennie fed him the ball as he slipped away from his defender. But the goal was called back when the cameras caught him a shade offside. Still, the shot seemed like a sign that the U.S.\u2019s press, which had so far been less effective than the high-octane one that had overwhelmed Paraguay and Australia in its first two games, was wearing the Bosnian defense down. Then, just before halftime, Tim Weah countered a weak clearance toward Tyler Adams, who let the ball pass through to Malik Tillman, who sent it to Balogun at the top of the box. Balogun was heavily defended. The pass had been deflected, and the ball sat just behind him, but he was somehow able to reach back and scrape it into the goal. Now Balogun\u2014born in New York, raised in London, vigorously recruited to the U.S. team, the brightest symbol of its ambitions\u2014was gone from the game, as well as the next, if the U.S. could make it that far.<\/p>\n

Read more Behind the Supreme Court\u2019s Ruling on Transgender Athletes<\/a><\/p>\n

But the U.S., whose back line had been considered the team\u2019s biggest weakness coming into the tournament, seemed to respond to the call with more energy, not less, and held firm. And, despite the disadvantage\u2014or perhaps because of it\u2014the tenacious midfielders kept up pressure on the other end whenever possible. When Sergi\u00f1o Dest was rewarded with a free kick on the edge of the penalty area in the eighty-second minute, Tillman took it. He did not try any little deception, nothing that could be misinterpreted or overthought. He curved the ball right over the haphazard wall formed by Bosnian defenders and into the goal. After the game, Tillman showed up at the press area without shoes on, his sock bloodied where a defender\u2019s cleat had pierced his boot.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n

Some things are called, and some aren\u2019t. Some moments seem to take on great meaning, and others are overlooked or rewritten in the aftermath. Another U.S. team might have been demoralized by the call against Balogun; this team\u2019s heroic response has come to seem like proof of its grit and promise. Of course, another team might have been luckier, or less unlucky, in any number of ways. Video replays may slow the game, but reinterpretation happens at hyperspeed.<\/p>\n

In the early hours of the next morning, between highlights of the game, I came across an odd sort of thank-you\/love-letter\/tourist video on X, made by the Spanish national team and addressed to Chattanooga, Tennessee, as well as a picture of a lovely note left at the Los Angeles stadium by the Iranian team thanking its supporters and the city for their hospitality. Who knew that the two-hundredth-and-fiftieth anniversary of the U.S. would be best celebrated like this? The American experiment will continue when the U.S. takes on Belgium, in the round of sixteen, in Seattle, on July 6th. Belgium, as it happens, enters the game following its own tale of miraculous escape, coming back from a 2\u20130 deficit to defeat Senegal in the waning minutes of extra time. Never mind that. One of this country\u2019s greatest gifts has always been its claim to interpreting the past to promise a more glorious future, a new history.\u00a0\u2666<\/p>\n

Read more Australia\u2019s Evolving Appreciation for Soccer<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Louisa Thomas writes about the U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team\u2019s win against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-sporting-scene"],"yoast_head":"\nThe U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Louisa Thomas writes about the U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team\u2019s win against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"City Relocation News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4\"},\"headline\":\"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792\"},\"wordCount\":1021,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"The Sporting Scene\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792\",\"name\":\"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?p=792#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"City Relocation News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cityrelocationnews.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News","og_description":"Louisa Thomas writes about the U.S. men\u2019s national soccer team\u2019s win against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the knockout phase of the 2026 World Cup.","og_url":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792","og_site_name":"City Relocation News","article_published_time":"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4"},"headline":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History","datePublished":"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792"},"wordCount":1021,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp","articleSection":["The Sporting Scene"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792","url":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792","name":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History - City Relocation News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-02T17:08:40+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfa5aa7a7635a3d807b83743f7e37c3a.webp","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?p=792#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The U.S. Men\u2019s Soccer Team Is Rewriting Its History"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/","name":"City Relocation News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7ce0c0c60d21e12a5ac61fb2b786d4","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com"],"url":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cityrelocationnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}