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Dutch quality too much for eager, overwhelmed USMNT

  • by Sebastian Oliveira
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The Netherlands tapped into their abundance of clinical quality to expose an exuberant but under-experienced USA by the score of 3-1.

The first ten minutes of the game told us exactly how the rest would go. As heartbreaking as the prophecy read, this team still put together a performance to be more than proud of. 

The young Americans had plenty to be hopeful of less than three minutes in, when early pressure saw a ricochet fall to the feet of starman Christian Pulisic in the middle of the box. The Chelsea winger left much to be desired though, placing his shot right at keeper Andries Noppert for an easy but impressive looking save. 

The US continued that pressure well, using Antonee Robinson’s pace and dribbling to continue breaking the Dutch lines as he has done so well throughout the tournament. But that dreaded tenth minute came, and with it the formula the Dutch would use to maintain their passive control on the rest of this entertaining round of 16 match.

A quick break through the US press saw the young, promising Dutch forward Cody Gakpo feed Denzel Dumfries on the right wing. The Inter Milan right back wasted no time finding Memphis Depay at the top of the box, who beat a lagging US midfield and gave his country the lead. 

The two teams spent the next 25 minutes trading half-chances, neither finding a strong enough foothold to change the narrative. Momentum grew slightly in the US’s favor in the last 10 minutes of the half, where chances from Jesus Pereira and Timothy Weah gave some hope to Greg Berhalters side. 

However, that early prophecy reared its face once more, as the Dutch took half of the one minute of stoppage time in the first half to carve the unfocused US defense in a very similar manner to the first goal. Dumfries found himself on the wrong side of Weston Mckennie on the right wing, and registered his second assist with a beautifully low driven cross finished off easily by Daley Blind. 

Both goalkeepers were called upon often and early in the second half. The early flourish quickly made both teams cautious, with the US weary of giving up another goal while the Dutch were more than happy to sit back and keep the Americans in front of them.

US keeper Matt Turner’s excellent form in Qatar continued in the 72nd minute with a double save that somehow looked both lighting quick and slow motion at the same time. American fan’s hearts barely dislodged from their respective throats before substitute Haji Wright got on the end of an errant Dutch back pass three minutes later. A heavy first touch closed his scoring angle, but the pressure earned a corner for the US that ignited the comeback effort. 

The effort looked like it would herald the desired result, as less than a minute later Pulisic found himself in a huge pocket of space behind the Dutch backline and fired in a low cross to Wright who somehow conjured a backheel effort into the side netting, cutting the lead in half. 

The American momentum persisted, with Wright and Pulisic leading a comeback effort that soccer romanticists could feel validated in predicting would happen. Unfortunately, a comeback was not what the prophecy had in store. 

As they were apt to do all game, the Dutch took major advantage of their possession around the USA box. Blind found just enough space on the left wing to play in a cross, returning the favor to an uncovered Dumfries on the back post, finishing off the match with yet another clinical finish in the 81st minute. 

The US fought valiantly to the end, but to no avail. At the end of the day, the Dutch were just too good when it mattered, and the Americans were just not good enough. This young team has plenty to be proud of, and will have four years to sharpen up their attack and maintain defensive focus. Adding these elements, with the addition of home field advantage, who knows what 2026 will have in store.

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Sebastian Oliveira