USMNT eliminated from World Championship in Round of 16 by Clinical Netherlands



CNN

USA men’s team (USMNT) was defeated 3-1 Netherlands and was eliminated from the World Championship in the 1/8 finals, despite a vigorous performance.

The Netherlands were underwhelmed in the group stage but showed their quality and clinical advantage on Saturday with three well-placed goals from Memphis Depay, Daly Blind and Denzel Dumfries.

Hadji Wright pulled one back for the USMNT at the end of the second half with his team trailing 2–1, but any hope of a comeback was dashed by a Dumfries goal in the 81st minute that almost confirmed the Dutch win.

US President Biden expressed pride in USMNT’s World Cup performance after the team’s loss, hinting at the next World Cup in 2026 to be held in the US, as well as Canada and Mexico.

“Guys, you made us proud. We stand up and move on,” Biden tweeted. “For a brighter future and 2026 here at home.”

USMNT have reached the quarter-finals only once since 1934, in 2002.

The USMNT had more shots on goal than the Netherlands, but again the lack of a proven scorer came at a cost to Gregg Berhalter’s young team.

He was the youngest USMNT player ever to start as an XI in a World Cup knockout match to line up to face the Netherlands, aiming to reach the quarter-finals for only the second time in the modern era.

Berhalter’s team controlled the opening exchanges, finding a place behind the Dutch defense, and Christian Pulisic had an early chance, going heads-up with Orange goalkeeper Andris Noppert deflecting a Chelsea striker far from the goal.

Absorbing this early pressure, the Netherlands then counter-attacked with deadly precision.

Breaking through the USMNT midfield, Cody Gakpo found Dumfries on the edge of the box, who returned the ball to Depay, perfectly positioned in front of the net. The Barcelona striker completed a sweeping attack by putting the ball into the net.

The USMNT continued to press – Timothy Weah’s shot was parried by Noppert and Serginho Dest made some labyrinth runs – but never got past the Dutch defense.

And then, near half-time, the Netherlands doubled their lead when Blind crossed Dumfries in almost the same move as his first goal.

Just after half-time, USMNT almost pulled back when the ball wobbled into the box from a corner and Tim Rome took it inches from the goal line, only to be cleared out by the Netherlands.

USMNT goaltender Matt Turner averted a near-certain goal with a double save, stopping two shots in a row to keep his team’s dwindling hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals.

His quick reflexes proved to be even more important minutes later when the USMNT finally scored as Wright latched on to Pulisic’s cross, his effort flying over Knoppert’s head.

The noise in the stadium, seemingly filled with American fans, became deafening for a short time, but just minutes later Dumfries scored Frenkie de Jong’s cross, confirming the victory of the Netherlands.

To this end, Dumfries became the first Dutch player to score more than three goals in a single World Cup match since 1978, according to statistics website OptaJoe.

USMNT star Christian Pulisic said he was “really proud” of the team’s World Championship performance.

“Hopefully we’ve shown a lot of people what we’re capable of,” Pulisic said FOX’s Jenny Taft. “We deserved more from this tournament. In the end we didn’t make it, but I think we have a lot to be proud of.

“I’m in a lot of pain right now,” Pulisic added. “We thought we could move forward and do a lot more this time, but I love these guys and it’s a really special group that we have.”

The Netherlands have advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will play either Argentina or Australia on Friday.