SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014<\/strong> Shrieks of laughter echoed around an empty PayPal Park. Weston McKennie playfully taunted Tyler Adams, just like he usually does. Even the normally reserved Christian Pulisic joined in on the fun.<\/p>\n As members of the U.S. men\u2019s national team worked through a training session at the home venue of MLS club San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday, anyone watching \u2014 if they didn\u2019t know better \u2014 wouldn\u2019t think that these players were barely 24 hours before what might be the biggest games of their lives.<\/p>\n Nothing less than the legacy of what many have called a “Golden Generation” of American soccer stars led by Pulisic, McKennie and Adams is at stake on Wednesday, when the USA meets Bosnia and Herzegovina in its first do-or-die match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at nearby San Francisco Bay Area Stadium (kickoff at 5 p.m. ET on FOX and FOX One).<\/p>\n The stakes are enormous. And after winning its first two contests in a World Cup for the first time in almost a century en route to topping Group D, the expectations are just as high.<\/p>\n For months, coach Mauricio Pochettino has talked up his squad\u2019s potential: “Why not us?”<\/i><\/p>\n That has been the question the former Paris Saint-Germain manager has asked his team and the USA\u2019s rapidly growing fan base again and again.<\/p>\n Players and supporters alike have internalized that message, to the point where many are already looking past Wednesday\u2019s round of 32 contest and to next week\u2019s round of 16 in Seattle against Belgium or Senegal \u2014 or even the July 10 quarterfinal versus (probably) star-studded Spain or Portugal or Croatia.<\/p>\n Not so fast. The Bosnians won\u2019t go quietly. And while they\u2019re not France, the U.S. hasn\u2019t beaten a European team in its last 12 chances dating to 2021 and has lost all six of such matches under Pochettino.<\/p>\n If that streak doesn\u2019t end in Northern California, at a World Cup on home soil, the public perception of the USA\u2019s tournament \u2014 the reality \u2014 will instantly swing from wild success to catastrophic failure. There is nothing in between.<\/p>\n The players are unfazed.<\/p>\n Chris Richards will be key in defense for the USA. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n “We try not to think worst-case scenario,” defender Chris Richards told me Monday before the Americans\u2019 final practice.<\/p>\n “For us, ultimately it’s [about] going to this game with confidence, but also understanding that no things don’t always go your way,” he said. “So let’s make sure you’re prepared for everything.”<\/p>\n Besides, being stressed out won\u2019t help.<\/p>\n “Relaxation brings concentration,” Pochettino said at Monday\u2019s pre-match press conference, attributing the quote to\u00a0Jorge Valdano, a legendary player and coach with Real Madrid who won the 1986 World Cup with Argentina.<\/p>\n No wonder the U.S. is choosing to look at Wednesday as an opportunity to keep its World Cup dreams kicking, rather than an obligation to.<\/p>\n Christian Pulisic should be ready for the USA match. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n Still, the odds are on the home team\u2019s side. Another massive red, white and blue-clad crowd is expected.<\/p>\n The U.S. comes into the match ranked 15th by FIFA while the Golden Lilles are 61st, lower than 16 nations that failed to qualify for this World Cup. Not that that matters when the game begins.<\/p>\n “I don’t believe that we are the favored team,” Pochettino said. “Everyone said Germany was the favorite, but Paraguay beat them.<\/p>\n “After the group stage, we are seeing how difficult it is for everyone,” he continued.\u00a0 “We don’t have another opportunity if we fail. [So] it’s all-in, knowing that that game is the final of the World Cup. That, I think, needs to be \u2014 and is \u2014 our mindset.”<\/p>\n Will Christian Pulisic Start vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina? Latest On USA Star’s Status<\/p>\n USA vs. Bosnia And Herzegovina: Storylines, Projected Lineup, Predictions<\/p>\n Scouting USA vs. Bosnia And Herzegovina: What To Expect From World Cup Matchup<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY SAN JOSE, Calif. \u2014 Shrieks of laughter echoed around an empty PayPal Park. Weston McKennie playfully taunted Tyler Adams, just like he usually does. Even the normally reserved Christian Pulisic joined in on the fun. As members of the U.S. men\u2019s national team worked through a training session at the home […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}