Malik Tillman outshone Balogun in USA's win over Bosnia & Herzegovina

Malik Tillman's 7.9 was the standout number from USA's 2-0 win over Bosnia & Herzegovina in USA vs Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was the best player on the pitch and the one who settled the tie. Folarin Balogun scored the opener in the 45th minute, but his 6.5 told a different story by full time after a red card in the 64th minute turned a comfortable night into a brief problem.

Ben Steiner wrote for si.com: "The U.S. men’s national team swiftly handled Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday night, with goals from Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman to secure a 2–0 win at Levi’s Stadium."

Tillman's numbers were the real story

Tillman did more than score the clincher. He finished with 31 passes, 14 duels, 8 duels won and 2 successful dribbles, which fits the eye-test as neatly as the 7.9 rating does.

That made him the clearest driver of the game from midfield, especially once USA needed someone to calm things down after Balogun's dismissal. His 82nd-minute free kick settled the match, and it was the right finish for the player who had controlled most of it.

The midfield around him helped. Weston McKennie posted a 7.2 rating, while Tim Ream completed 56 passes and also came in at 7.2. USA only had 48% possession, with Bosnia & Herzegovina on 52%, so this was not a case of keeping the ball for the sake of it. It was a case of using the key moments better.

Sports Mole put it well: "The core principles of Mauricio Pochettino's side carried over into the knockout stage and proved crucial in breaking down a stubborn Bosnian rearguard that operated with a back five."

USA only managed 2 shots on target, but both ended up in the net. That efficiency matters more here than the possession split.

Balogun's mixed night changed the feel of the win

Balogun's game was easy to read in two parts. First came the goal just before the break, which put USA ahead and gave them control. Then came the red card in the 64th minute for a serious foul after stepping on an opponent's Achilles.

One report placed the dismissal in the 65th minute, but the stronger line is 64th and that is the timing supported by the match events and si.com. Either way, the broader point holds: Balogun went from match-winner to the reason USA had to manage the final phase more carefully.

His 6.5 rating feels fair enough. A scorer in a 2-0 knockout win would usually come away with cleaner praise than that, but the sending-off changed the assessment. Tillman ended up with the better night because his contribution improved as the game got more awkward.

There was help from the other end too. Bosnia & Herzegovina goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj was rated 4.9, the lowest among the starters in the match data, and USA were ruthless with the little they created.

The possession discussion needs a bit of care. Sports Mole said Bosnia & Herzegovina enjoyed 70 per cent of the ball in the second half, while the full-match numbers gave them 52% overall. Those figures can live together, but the larger point is that Bosnia never turned that edge into the result.

USA's control came from midfield, not volume

This is why Tillman's performance stands above the rest. He was the best-rated player, he scored the goal that finished the game, and his all-round numbers were stronger than anyone else in the attack.

Balogun still gave USA a decisive first-half moment, but Tillman was the player who held the whole thing together. In a match that drifted from control to chaos and then back again, that is the performance worth focusing on.

USA are through with a 2-0 win, and the cleanest read from the night is still Tillman at 7.9 and Balogun at 6.5.