Back-Heels and Flicks: America's World Cup Dreams Fueled By 'Pretty' Soccer

Start with the back-heel passes: those clever flicks of a soccer ball, with the rear part of a foot, that draw “ooohhhhhhs” from the crowd, and can help put goals on the board. For America’s first goal in Wednesday night’s 2-0 Round of 32 knockout victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif., Tyler Adams took a Tim Ream pass and back-heeled it to Malik Tillman—himself an enthusiastic practitioner of the maneuver. Tillman, in turn, pushed the ball ahead to striker Folarin Balogun, who was streaking towards the goal.

The pass was off the mark. But aggressive mistakes can create good luck, while passive ones can spark misfortune. The errant ball bounced off a pair of Bosnian defenders, towards Balogun, who finished the job for his third goal of the tournament. The United States took a 1-0 lead in the 45th minute, right before half-time.

Tillman saved his beauty for the second half. With the Americans down a man due to a questionable red card called on Balogun, and still holding a slim one-goal advantage, Tillman set up to take a free kick. He and Antonee Robinson held a back-and-forth chat, discussing whether Tillman should try to shoot it under the defensive wall, perhaps around it, or over it. “I know some guys doubted me to go over the wall,” says Tillman.

He proved those naysayers wrong. Tillman, whose right foot was bloodied before the kick because a Bosnian player stepped on it, still arced a shot over five standing Bosnians, into an unsaveable spot that keeper Nikola Vasilj almost dared Tillman to target.

Beautiful, pretty, full of flair: the American men are playing a World Cup brand of soccer we haven’t really seen from the Stars and Stripes. “It's the best way you can play football,” says Tilllman, who was born in Germany but has an American father and chose to represent the U.S. before the 2022 World Cup. Tillman credits the team’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, for encouraging this emerging American brand. “The coach gives us the freedom to be creative and do those kinds of things,” says Tillman.

Fancy plays spread on TikTok and other places, just like dunks, long home runs, and one-handed catches in the end-zone. They can help grow a sport’s appeal. “In the American culture, people love highlights,” says midfielder Weston McKennie. “People love SportsCenter Top-10 plays, everything like that. Get some intrigue. We're able to add that to the game.”

Over its three wins at this World Cup, the United States has outscored its opponents 8-1. American players looked fitter, and faster, than the Bosnians. The American pressing style seemed to tire the opponent out. When the U.S. lost Balogun in the 64th minute, giving Bosnia a man advantage, the American defense was undaunted. “It's kind of an adrenaline rush,” McKennie says of being shorthanded. “Because you're like, ‘oh sh-t, if we can pull off this win and hold them to zero goals, it's even bigger.’ So everyone's running everywhere and tackling and just making sure we keep our structure.”

With the win over Bosnia, in front of 68,827 partisan fans in the stadium that hosted this year’s Super Bowl, the U.S. snapped its 10-game losing streak against European sides. “Maybe it's our turn to start a new streak,” says American defender Chris Richards.

Dropping this game, especially after fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico moved on, would have erased all American group stage accomplishments.  Now the U.S. meets Belgium, in Seattle, on Monday in the Round of 16, a rematch of a crushing 2-1 loss at the same stage of the 2014 World Cup, in which American keeper Tim Howard made a record 16 saves but still went home with his mates. The stakes remain high for the Americans. With the added layer of single-elimination games at this inaugural expanded 48-team World Cup, the U.S. was able to win its first World Cup knockout match since 2002—but still only advance to the final 16, a stage they’ve reached in each of their last three World Cups appearances before bowing out.

A quarterfinal, at this point, feels mandatory, especially given how strong the U.S. has looked over the past three-plus weeks. The squad has created serious expectations.

Belgium needed two goals, in the 86th and 89th minutes, to come back from two down against Senegal on Wednesday in the Round of 32 in Seattle; the Red Devils won on a penalty conversion in the 125th minute, after a controversial call, moments before the game seemed destined for a shootout. U.S.-Bosnia had its own officiating brouhaha. About midway through the second half, Balogun stepped on the foot of a Bosnian player, while going for the ball. The infraction did not appear intentional; officials reviewed the play and thought otherwise. Even Canadian commentators called the red card decision "diabolical” and "dreadful."

FIFA rules mean Balogun must sit out the next game. A reporter asked Adams if it was disheartening that appeals are not allowed on such calls. “Typical FIFA,” Adams said. “I think it's a yellow card. I think when you slow everything down, it's always going to look worse.”  He sighed. “I don't want to say too much,” says Adams.