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What playing in the World Cup means for Bosnia-Herzegovina

Scott Rovak / USA TODAY Sports

If you're having trouble embracing the World Cup, this story will allay any trepidation. If you're having a difficult time understanding what this tournament means, beyond the advertisements and the billions of dollars spent, then the story of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who will play their first World Cup game ever tonight in Rio de Janiero against Argentina, will inspire you. It's been a long road to football's mecca. 

20 years ago Sarajevo was hell, ravaged by a civil war that cost thousands of people their lives. Today, as Jonathan Wilson wrote in Sports Illustrated, it's impossible to ignore the hallmarks of a war that destroyed so much of the Bosnian capital, but viewing parties will dominate the city square and cafes and just about any place where a television is located. For the first time in their nascent history, Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete in the World Cup.

This squad, like Sarajevo itself, is weathered, carrying vivid reminders of how this country came to be. 

Wilson explains:

Midfielders Miralem Pjanic and Zvjezdan Misimovic grew up in Luxembourg and Germany, respectively. Forward Vedad Ibiševic played college soccer in the U.S., at Saint Louis University. Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic's family fled to Germany in 1992, when he was four, and then moved to Canada. Holding midfielder Haris Medunjamin escaped with his mother from Sarajevo to the Netherlands when he was seven; his father stayed behind and was killed in the war. But the team's heart is striker Edin Džeko, a modern ambassador who is very much a son of Sarajevo, having lived in the city throughout the siege.

A tweet by Dzeko, who began in career with FK Željezničar Sarajevo, showed how much this moment means to him. 

This will not just be a "feel good" story that warrants a touching montage, and little else. Bosnia boasts a number of talented players, including the aforementioned Dzeko. His stunning play in the second half of the season helped Manchester City win their second Premier League title in the last three years. Pjanic is brash and bold in the midfield, creating attack after attack in a 4-1-3-2 formation that screams "we're going to come at you and we're going to score a bunch." The Bosnians scored 30 times in 10 qualifying games. 

They might tone it down a bit in Brazil, with head coach Safet Susic opting to name only two strikers to his 23-man squad, but their opponents are wary. Argentina will likely drop forward Gonzalo Higuain from the starting lineup and play five players at the back.  

The Bosnian defense will be a question mark. Emir Spahic, the captain, is a reliable cog, but Susic's reliance on positive football, the sort that is lovely to watch, but prone to devastating counter attacks, will be dicey, especially against the Argentinians.

The Maracana, one of Brazil's most cherished cathedrals, is a fitting place for Group F's most highly anticipated game. Bosnia and Herzegovina's first foray onto the world's biggest stage is a monumental moment for a country that has battled through so much.  

In fairy tales, dragons often play the role of the monstrous villain, a grotesque creature that can only be stopped by the heroic knight. It's an unfair dichotomy because while the reader is forced to identify with the knight, we seldom learn anything about the dragon's back story. 

In this case, learning about where the Bosnian Dragons have come from, and who they are today, turn the tables on the fairytale structure. While it's patronizing to consider Bosnia-Herzegovina a scrappy underdog, we cheer for them because we know what they've overcome, and we know what they can do.

Fortunately, for the sake of the story unraveling in Brazil, these Dragons can still breathe fire.

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