USMNT player ratings: Tillman shines as U.S. books berth in round of 16 - ESPN

Folarin Balogun's goal created the belief the United States' men's national team was set for the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16, but his red card in Wednesday's second half created a truckload of doubt.

But Malik Tillman stepped up to score a curling free kick that secured a 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in a round-of-32 match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (Levi's Stadium) in Santa Clara, California.

Beating Bosnia-Herzegovina means the U.S. will advance to the round of 16 where it will face Belgium on Monday at Seattle Stadium (Lumen Field). In March, the U.S. was left to face major questions after a 5-2 loss to the European heavyweight in a friendly match in Atlanta.

Here's a look at what happened Wednesday, how it happened and what allowed the U.S. to advance.

Mauricio Pochettino, 7 — Pochettino's tactical approach was tested in nearly every way. There was how the U.S. opened the match by facilitating its attack down the right rather than the left, which had become so familiar. There were those times when the Americans alternated between their 4-2-3-1 and a 3-5-2. But Balogun's red card with more that 30 minutes left in regulation forced the U.S. to try to find the sort of success away from the ball. It was an approach that saw the U.S. hold firm until it went on the counters that eventually led to Tillman scoring off a free kick for a 2-0 lead.

GK Matt Freese, 6 — Freese became a much more active figure once the U.S. went down to 10 players compared to when Balogun was on the pitch. He didn't see much to open the match beyond calmly punching away one shot by Ermedin Demirovic, before making a two-fisted save on a corner that looked as if it was about to dip into the goal.

RB Alex Freeman, 6 — Freeman tended to