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Esmir Bajraktarević’s uture offered two options with little overlap.

Born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, a Midwestern river town where Harry Houdini also came of age, Bajraktarević’s development took him from the nearby Chicago Fire’s academy to the New England Revolution. He began representing the United States at youth levels, first the U-19s and then the U-23s. He was included in Gregg Berhalter’s squad camp in January 2024, making his senior debut against Slovenia. He was involved at Olympic level too, helping the US qualify for Paris 2024.

It seemed that he’d be in and around the program for good. Young and technical wingers are always in demand, and it proved to be one of the thinnest areas of the US player pool during Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure. But before squads were due for Paris 2024, Bajraktarević pulled himself out of contention: he filed to become eligible for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And now, in a twist of fate, Bajraktarević’s Bosnia and Herzegovina will face his former team in the World Cup last 32 on Wednesday.

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Six years before his birth, Bajraktarević’s parents yearned for a way out of Bosnia as war descended in the wake of Yugoslavia’s collapse. They first landed in Switzerland, spending two years there before moving to the United States in 2001 as part of a refugee resettlement program.

“[The war] was pretty bad,” Bajraktarević told The Blazing Musket before his international switch. “My parents lost a good amount of family members. It’s very tragic. Srebrenica is something that I’ll never forget. It’s a part of me and who I am. It’s in my blood.”

From that perspective, Bajraktarević’s decision to represent Bosnia make sense. On the pitch, time will tell how much future US teams could have benefitted from the winger’s availability. At the time, however, it seemed less likely to have a knock-on impact for the United States than, say, seeing Brian Gutierrez and Obed Vargas commit to Concacaf rival Mexico. Comparatively, there would be little chance of this switch rearing its head at a major tournament.

Little chance, but still a chance. One that will unexpectedly manifest in Santa Clara this week.

Bosnia and Herzegovina were first eligible for the World Cup via Uefa qualification in 1998, failing to reach the tournament in their first four attempts. The fifth time was the charm, cresting the 32-team field in 2014. A squad boasting young Sead Kolašinac, tidy midfielder Miralem Pjanić, and Manchester City’s Edin Džeko fell against Argentina and Nigeria, but salvaged their tournament debut with a win over Iran to close out Group F.

Bajraktarević was just nine years old then. While some of his friends were closely watching the exploits of Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard in Brazil, “In heart I always knew since I was little that it was going to be Bosnia at the end of the day,” Bajraktarević reflected in February. “There’s videos of me wearing Edin Džeko’s jersey growing up. He was my favorite player growing up, and it’s just something you dream of.”

Suddenly, he had a chance to play with his boyhood hero.

On 7 September 2024, Bajraktarević fulfilled his dream and debuted for Bosnia, months before Uefa qualifying kicked off. Within two years, he had a signature international moment.

In the Uefa playoff against Italy, the Azzurri stormed to an early lead but were up against it after a first-half red-card to Alessandro Bastoni. Bosnia and Herzegovina found an equalizer via Haris Tabaković and kept a deadlock to force a second shootout in as many matches with a World Cup spot hanging in the balance.

In the team’s first shootout of the playoffs against Wales, Bajraktarević was not among Bosnia’s first five takers. This time, Bajraktarević was up to take the fourth kick, with Bosnia already up 3-1. Staring down Gianluigi Donnarumma, Bajraktarević had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to bring joy to his parents’ homeland.

He didn’t miss, slotting his attempt just underneath Donnarumma’s gloves as the keeper dove to his left. Bajraktarević peeled off to the corner flag and held his Bosnia aloft for the home supporters to admire: Zmajevi were back in the World Cup at Italy’s expense.

That sort of fearlessness in the big moment, coupled with experience scuppering a 2026 World Cup co-host’s home-field advantage, makes Bajraktarević and his team a compelling first knockout adversary. for the US.

Bajraktarević started against Canada and Qatar and came off the bench against the Swiss, logging 214 minutes (including stoppage time) and operating as a recipient for progressive passes. Only Ivan Bašić has played more passes into the box than Bajraktarević’s five for Bosnia and Herzegovina, per Futi, while his 70 attacking-third touches trail his opposite winger, Kerim Alajbegović.

The rarest of circumstances, enabled by Fifa’s World Cup expansion, have now put Bajraktarević against his former teammates. As the US hopes to restore the good vibes after a dead-rubber defeat to Turkey, his threat along the flank will be crucial.

“We didn’t speak about this game yet,” PSV teammate Sergiño Dest said before US training on Sunday in Irvine. “I didn’t call him, he didn’t call me yet, but he is a good player. He also had to make the choice between the US and Bosnia. He chose the other side. But hopefully we will not regret [that] after Wednesday.”