Tag: Bosnia and Herzegovina

USMNT prospect Bajraktarevic named to Bosnia and Herzegovina roster

The USMNT looks to have lost out on one of MLS’s best prospects

Bosnia and Herzegovina has handed a first senior call-up to New England Revolution attacker Esmir Bajraktarevic.

The 19-year-old has been named to the country’s 26-man roster for upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against the Netherlands on September 7, and Hungary three days later.

Bajraktarevic has only represented the U.S. at the international level thus far, playing at several youth levels and making his senior debut this January against Slovenia.

The Revs star’s parents fled Bosnia in the early 1990s amid a devastating war, eventually settling in Wisconsin where Bajraktarevic was born and raised.

At a press conference on Friday, Bosnia and Herzegovina national team director Emir Spahić said that the player’s choice was clear, despite his previous representation of the United States.

“With Esmir Bajraktarevic and his father, the story from the start went in only one direction, and that is the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Spahić said. “Without a single moment of doubt, he had only one wish and that is why he is here.”

Should Bajraktarevic play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in either of its Nations League matches, he would not be permanently tied to the European nation. However, FIFA regulations would require him to wait three years before he would be able to play for the USMNT again.

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USMNT prospect Bajraktarevic hints at switch to Bosnia and Herzegovina

The USMNT may be about to lose one its top-rated teenage prospects

Esmir Bajraktarevic looks like he could be leaving the U.S. men’s national team behind.

The New England Revolution attacker, one of the most promising teenagers in the American player pool, has strongly hinted in recent weeks that he is set to switch his international allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bajraktarevic’s parents fled Bosnia in the early 1990s amid a devastating war, eventually settling in Wisconsin where Bajraktarevic was born and raised.

The 19-year-old has only represented the U.S. at the international level thus far, playing at several youth levels and making his senior debut this January against Slovenia.

But rumors over a switch to Bosnia and Herzegovina began to swirl last month when fans noticed that Bajraktarevic had switched the flag in his Instagram profile from the U.S. to Bosnia.

The teenager spoke to The Blazing Musket after Wednesday’s Revolution win over Atlanta, hinting that he was indeed leaning toward switching to his parents’ home country.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously, I’m very proud to be Bosnian,” Bajraktarevic said. “Playing for the national team is definitely something that I’ve dreamed of since I was little. I mean, I’m not ready to announce anything or to say much right now but yeah, I’m just proud to be a Bosnian [and] it’d be great.”

Bajraktarevic was called into the final pre-Olympics camp for the USMNT last month, and appears to have a decent chance to be called in to the final 18-player roster when it is announced on Monday.

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Italy vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: How to watch friendly, TV channel, live stream

The defending European champions have one final match before Euro 2024

Italy will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly on Sunday, as the Azzurri play their last tune-up for Euro 2024.

Italy’s first pre-Euros friendly came on Tuesday as it drew 0-0 against Turkey, and Luciano Spaletti’s side will look to enter the tournament with a win on Sunday in Empoli.

Italy will be looking to extend its unbeaten run to six games, while Bosnia is looking to snap a five-game losing streak.

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Looking to defend its European title, Italy has been drawn into Group B with Albania, Spain and Croatia.

Bosnia, meanwhile, did not qualify for the Euros, and is preparing for Nations League matches in the fall.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Italy vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (international friendly)

  • When: Tuesday, June 4
  • Where: Stadio Carlo Castellani (Empoli, Italy)
  • Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: ViX (Watch on Prime Video)

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England vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina: How to watch, TV channel, live stream

The Three Lions continue preparations for Euro 2024 at St. James’ Park on Monday

England will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday in the first of two warm-up friendlies prior to Euro 2024.

The Three Lions will take on the Dragons on at St. James’ Park before squaring off against Iceland on Friday to wrap up preparations for the tournament in Germany.

Gareth Southgate’s side will be missing several players for the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which failed to qualify for Euro 2024.

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Harry Maguire, Anthony Gordon and Luke Shaw are injured, while Bukayo Saka will be rested. John Stones joined up with the squad late, while Jude Bellingham is still away having just won the Champions League with Real Madrid over the weekend.

Southgate is currently working with his 33-player provisional squad, and will have to cut the group down to 26 before England kicks off Euro 2024 against Serbia on June 16.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match.

England vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (international friendly)

  • When: Monday, June 3
  • Where: St. James’ Park (Newcastle, England)
  • Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: FS2 (Watch FREE on Fubo)

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Bosnia scheduled a friendly vs. Russia and its two biggest stars are not happy

Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić were not pleased their federation scheduled a match in St. Petersburg

Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić have both voiced their disapproval after Bosnia and Herzegovina scheduled a friendly against Russia.

Bosnia and Herzegovina announced this week that it will travel to St. Petersburg for a match on November 19, one day before World Cup 2022 kicks off.

Russia won’t be at the World Cup after the country was disqualified from this spring’s playoff round as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine.

Džeko, the country’s captain, sounds like he may boycott the trip to Russia entirely, telling Bosnian news website Klix: “I am against the playing of this match; I am always and only for peace.

“I have my position which is clear and which does not include playing this match, while innocent people are suffering. I stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine in these difficult times for them.”

Pjanić sounded a similar note, telling Bosnian media: “The decision is not good. I am speechless. In the national FA, they know what I think.”

Russia played its most recent match in November 2021 and is still banned from FIFA and UEFA competition. Russia will, however, end its run without any games this month when it faces Kyrgyzstan in a friendly on September 24, with a friendly against Iran in November also on the schedule.

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This Bosnian player got dunked on because he stared down Domantas Sabonis after blocking his dunk

LOOK OUT BELOW

Eurobasket has been filled with some pretty ridiculous moments so far. For example, Luka Doncic hitting a ridiculous one-handed floater 20 feet away from the basket over Rudy Gobert makes no sense. There’s also Giannis Antetkounmpo’s block of a 3-pointer while somehow being under the rim.

Just completely ridiculous stuff. But as wild as that was, I’m not sure it’s wilder than what happened to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Miralem Halilovic on Wednesday when he found himself getting dunked on…after he stopped himself from getting dunked on.

Yes, you read that correctly.

So here’s how it happened. Domantas Sabonis tried to dunk on him first and he successfully blocked the dunk attempt. He then proceeded to stare Sabonis down.

What followed was this.

WATCH YA HEAD, BUDDY.

They tell you to keep your head on a swivel when you’re playing basketball and Halilovic found out why the hard way. Then he got screamed on by Sabonis immediately after.

He’ll know better next time, I’m sure.

“We made our first basketball steps …

“We made our first basketball steps thanks to Kobe Bryant, so we decided to pay our respects to him in this way and emphasize the impact he left on the sport”, a group of guys from Gradiška who worked hard on painting the mural for the past ten days. The mural is the largest in Europe in terms of its dimensions. – Kobe Bryant was one of my role models and when we heard that he tragically lost his life, we came up with the idea to pay tribute to him. That is how we made a mural on the wall of the school next to which we spent time on the playground – said one of the initiators of the action, Igor Damjanović.

That’s Dzanan Musa. The youngest player …

That’s Dzanan Musa. The youngest player on the Nets’ roster is 13 hours away from his native country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Well, 13 hours away if he could fly home, which he clearly can’t with COVID-19 running rampant. He, along with fellow European players Rodions Kurucs and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, are stuck stateside for the foreseeable future. “I had a conversation with the three of those guys [Tuesday] night together. They are coping, and their families are coping with this. But that’s really difficult,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said. “Their families are completely separated. They’re not in the same time zone, they’re in completely different countries, and obviously there is a travel ban in place. So, these guys cannot go home.