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Everything changes with a win. Everything gets higher with a loss.
The U.S. men’s national team enters Wednesday’s Round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina looking for its first World Cup knockout-stage victory over a European opponent.
It’s about more than another milestone on America’s resume. A win would send the team to the round of 16, where they would have a chance to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 2002. That run ended with a 1-0 loss to Germany.
American defenseman Antonee Robinson recently joined Colin Cowherd on “The Herd” to discuss the upcoming matchup and the pressure surrounding the team.
“We have an opportunity to do something incredibly special this summer on our home field,” Robinson said. “We’re looking to win the tournament and you can’t get there without winning this next game.”
Robinson didn’t hesitate when asked if Wednesday’s game was the greatest in American history.
“I would absolutely say this is the most important game that any of us played for states,” Robinson said. “I hope we all go into it with the mindset, you know, it’s do or die.”
The U.S. has looked like a completely different team three games into this year’s World Cup, winning two of its three group stage games, including a memorable 4-1 tournament-opening win over Paraguay.
The same Paraguay team recently knocked out Germany in the Round of 16, further underscoring just how special this American team has been.
The USA’s impressive group stage showing won’t mean much without another win, and Robinson knows the challenge will only get tougher in the knockout stages.
“We have to find a way to win even if we don’t necessarily perform as well as we have,” Robinson said. “We just have to find a way to get a result.”
