Dest Prepares for Match Against Bosnia
IRVINE — Sergiño Dest is set to encounter a familiar face on Wednesday as the United States faces Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara.
Dest plays alongside Bosnian forward Esmir Vajraktarevic at PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
A dual citizen of the U.S. and the Netherlands, Dest ultimately opted to represent the United States. He was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a Surinamese-American father.
Although he grew up in the Netherlands, he committed to the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) in 2019.
On the flip side, Bajraktarevic hails from Wisconsin. His parents are Bosnian refugees who found their way to the U.S. He initially played for the USMNT at youth levels before switching his allegiance to represent Bosnia at the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
Dest mentioned that he hasn’t reached out to Vajraktarevic recently regarding the match.
“He’s a good, technical player,” Dest remarked. “He chose a different path, but maybe after Wednesday, he’ll be regretting it.”
He added, “I haven’t called or texted him about this game yet. Honestly, I don’t think it will happen until we’re done on Wednesday. We can catch up afterwards and see how things unfold. We’ve got a big focus right now.”
As the Round of 32 matchup approaches, there were discussions during U.S. practice on Sunday about lessons learned from the 2022 team, which faced an early exit against the Netherlands.
“I believe we’re a different team now,” Dest commented, noting he’s among 13 players from the 2022 roster. “We’ve matured over these past few years, and that was evident in our first few matches. Everyone is slightly older, we have a lot more experience, better chemistry, and a better mindset. Of course, there are newcomers, but the confidence is palpable. Winning the first two games to top the group would really benefit us; that’s a significant advantage.”
Following a full practice on Sunday, the U.S. players returned to the field for the first time since their 3-2 loss to Turkey in the final Group D match.
They had recovery sessions on Friday, taking Saturday completely off to spend with their families.
2026 World Cup News
Striker Folarin Balogun, who netted two goals during the World Cup, shared that Saturday was a time for resetting and relaxing. “Today, we have a chance to refocus on Wednesday’s game. It’s important to recover, and now is the time to shift our attention,” he noted.
When asked about the game against Bosnia, Balogun said, “It’s easy to get detached from this match. It’s critical, but I genuinely enjoy these types of games.”
