{"id":3110,"date":"2026-07-01T19:10:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:10:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3110"},"modified":"2026-07-01T19:10:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:10:06","slug":"this-american-could-help-eliminate-the-u-s-from-the-world-cup-on-wednesday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=3110","title":{"rendered":"This American could help eliminate the U.S. from the World Cup on Wednesday"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Twenty-three American-born players will be available to take the pitch when the U.S. faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday in its World Cup Round of 32 knockout match, including Esmir Bajraktarevic\u0301.<\/p>\n

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But Bajraktarevic\u0301 won\u2019t be wearing the United States\u2019 white and red striped kit. Instead, he\u2019ll be sporting Bosnia-Herzegovina\u2019s blue and yellow.<\/p>\n

He is one of nine Americans representing a different country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, USA Today reported.<\/p>\n

Bajraktarevic\u0301 played a key role in Bosnia making its second-ever World Cup appearance and could help extend his parents\u2019 home country\u2019s historic run Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The 21-year-old Bajraktarevic\u0301 was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his parents settled after the genocide in Bosnia, which took the lives of four of Bajraktarevic\u0301’s uncles and grandfather, according to The Athletic. <\/p>\n

An estimated 100,000 people were killed in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995, and 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed in the Bajraktarevic\u0301s\u2019 hometown of Srebrenica, according to the United States Holocaust Museum. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents lost a good amount of family members,\u201d Bajraktarevic\u0301 told The Blazing Musket in 2024. \u201cIt\u2019s very tragic. It is something that I\u2019ll never forget, obviously. Srebrenica is something that I\u2019ll never forget. It\u2019s a part of me and who I am. It\u2019s in my blood. It\u2019s something that is a big part of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Esmir Bajraktarevic\u0301\u2019s journey from Wisconsin to the World Cup<\/h3>\n

In Wisconsin, both of Bajraktarevic\u0301\u2019s parents often worked 12-hour shifts to provide for their family, according to The Blazing Musket.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was difficult starting a new life and everything, so we didn\u2019t have a lot of money growing up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was obviously hard at first, just seeing them struggle and everything. I\u2019m so thankful for everything they\u2019ve given me, especially from what they came from.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bajraktarevic\u0301 grew up in a soccer loving family and began playing at a young age. At 13, he played for his first club team, Milwaukee\u2019s SC Wave. His family couldn\u2019t afford it, but a friend\u2019s family \u201cbasically paid for me throughout my whole club career.\u201d<\/p>\n

After three years with SC Wave, Bajraktarevic\u0301 joined the New England Revolution\u2019s academy and moved to Massachusetts in 2021. <\/p>\n

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\u201cI told my parents this is something I have to do, I have to make the sacrifice,\u201d Bajraktarevi\u0107 told The Athletic.<\/p>\n

He debuted for the MLS team in 2022 and scored his first goal the following season in a Leagues Cup match. He was the first player in the Revolution academy\u2019s residency program to be on the first team\u2019s roster, per the Revolution. He played there until transferring to PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie in January 2025.<\/p>\n

\n
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Bajraktarevi\u0107 caught the attention of the U.S. national team and was called up to the January 2024 camp, where he \u201creally impressed\u201d then-head coach Gregg Berhalter and his staff, according to The Athletic.<\/p>\n

Seven months after that camp, in July 2024, Bosnia\u2019s national team reached out, and Bajraktarevi\u0107 filed a successful request with FIFA to switch from the U.S. to Bosnia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t any doubt because I always knew it was gonna be Bosnia at the end of the day,\u201d Bajraktarevi\u0107 told The Athletic. \u201cIt was definitely an exciting moment for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In March, Bajraktarevi\u0107 scored the decisive penalty in Bosnia\u2019s World Cup qualifying playoff match against Italy, punching Bosnia\u2019s ticket to the World Cup and ending Italy\u2019s hopes of going.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Bajraktarevi\u0107 could end another country\u2019s World Cup dreams. This time, it could be his home country.<\/p>\n

Bajraktarevi\u0107 has yet to score in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he played in all three of Bosnia\u2019s group stage matches, starting in two of them. He played all 90 minutes of Bosnia\u2019s 3-1 win over Qatar.<\/p>\n

The Round of 32 match between the U.S. and Bosnia-Herzegovina starts Wednesday at 6 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on Fox and Telemundo. <\/p>\n

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Who is Esmir Bajraktarevic\u0301? Why is Esmir Bajraktarevic\u0301 playing for Bosnia not the U.S.? 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