The USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina friendly match will take place at the Olympic Stadium in Sarajevo this Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 11:30 AM Pacific. Klinsmann is riding an 11-game winning streak with the USMNT, and has placed a tough European opponent as the next challenge for this talented American squad.
[divider] [/divider]
Update: A resilient US team came back from a 2-0 half time deficit and defeated Bosnia 4-3 in an exciting match. Click here to visit the US Soccer YouTube page and view all goals.
[divider] [/divider]
Klinsmann has done a tremendous job with the USMNT. After a bit of a bumpy start in his early stages as the National head coach, Klinsmann has recuperated and placed the USA as the top team in the CONCACAF region (Mexico’s awful state, of course, helps). Some of Klinsmann’s successes in 2013 are:
- Through 6 CONCACAF Hexagonal matches, winning 4, tying 1, and losing 1. Earning 13 points, and sitting in first place with a ticket to Brazil nearly guaranteed.
- Winning the 2013 Gold Cup with an unblemished record (i.e. defeated all opponents).
- Getting Landon Donovan back onto the national roster, on his own terms, not Donovan’s (Donovan had to “earn” his way back on to the USMNT by playing well in the Gold Cup.
For this match, Klinsmann decided to rest most of his MLS based players (given their recent participation in the Gold Cup), and has called up mostly European based players. The only MLS players called are Brad Evans and Eddie Johnson. Joe Corona and Edgar Castillo were called up from Tijuana, and the rest of the players are based in Europe.
There will be many new faces in the roster, including GK Cody Cropper, defender John Anthony Brooks and strikers Bobby Wood and Aron Johannsson. It appears Klinsmann wants to take this friendly as an opportunity to try out new players, and see if anyone impresses him enough to be included in the Hexagonal matches scheduled for September.
The USMNT will be facing a strong Bosnia & Herzegovina squad that has gone undefeated through six UEFA World Cup qualifying matches. This is a top-notch squad that has the type of talent that is unmatched in the CONCACAF region, a perfect opponent for a coach that wants to test the abilities of the players in this somewhat alternate roster.
USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina Prediction
This friendly match will be a difficult challenge for the USMNT. Bosnia is a very talented rival, playing in front of a crowd that will want to see a home team victory. Look for the USA to use this game as a way to have players convince Klinsmann that they should be part of the regular team. The end result is not the most important factor in this match. The USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina game will end in a 1-2 loss for the USMNT.
USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina Television
The USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina match will be televised on Unimas and ESPN 2 this Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 11:30 AM Pacific.
USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina Highlights
The USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina highlights will be uploaded as soon as the match ends.
