Final thoughts …
Some people may look at the superficial stats and say the Dutch were lucky. The US outshot the Netherlands 17-4. But heading well wide off well-defended corner kicks won’t win games. The US only put three of those shots on target.
The Dutch completed 400 of 509 passes. The US completed 291 of 403. But the US were more ambitious with 29 cross attempts (11 complete) to the Netherlands’ 7 (1).
(All that from the Fifa site.)
Odd stat alert: No NWSL players scored in this game. Horan is the only US player who plays in Europe.
The third matchday in this group now promises to be exceptionally dramatic. Catch those games at … 3 am ET Tuesday? Yikes.
Can the Netherlands turn possession into a lot of goals against Vietnam? Can the US overcome a Portuguese team that gave the Netherlands fits? Could the US be (gasp) eliminated?
I’ll say probably, probably, and definitely not.
Portugal plays Vietnam in a little more than four hours. I’ll be asleep, but if you’re awake, please follow along with us. See you next time. And here’s the report from tonight’s game too:
Updated
Our man in Australia (well, one of them) spots a US icon:
Perfect. RGB out supporting @USWNT at USA vs Netherlands match
— Dave Earley (@earleyedition) July 27, 2023
#USANED #fifawwc @duresport https://t.co/R5DUzOXCRC pic.twitter.com/POgcSbetZU
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Funny thing about the halftime commentary – Carli Lloyd was right. Once the US found its spark, those passing lanes the Dutch found so easily in the first 60 minutes were suddenly clogged with players in the distinctive paint-spatter shirts the US have worn so far in this Cup.
Will that be enough against a team that has looked more impressive here? Spain? Germany? Japan? Brazil? Hard to say.
Full time: USA 1-1 Netherlands
Aw, that’s nice. Van de Donk and Horan hug and smile afterwards.
It was a fiercely fought but mostly sporting game. You could say it was a tale of two halves, but it was really more of a tale of 60 minutes of Dutch possession and 30 minutes of the Dutch hanging on for dear life.
First place in the group will be wide open at this point. The US has a goal-difference edge right now, but the Netherlands could really run it up against what would surely be an exhausted Vietnamese team in their third game. I’ll say the Dutch score at least four, so the US would need … two?
And finally, we have a couple of games in which both teams scored!
Updated
90 +8 mins: Clean tackle for the Dutch. The US fans disagree, but they’re wrong.
Game over.
90 +7 mins: Dunn takes a while to throw it in. The ball gets to Rodman, who’s all alone against five defenders. Surprised to see the USA not going harder for a late winner.
90 +6 mins: Van de Donk is getting some sort of headgear.
Paul Connelly on why Horan didn’t get yellow: “Good question. I think it’s got something to do with the growth of the game. At this point, I think the referees are comfortable calling niggling fouls that you or I might think aren’t that bad, but it’s hard for the referees to have the confidence to make big calls like giving a yellow card to a star player. I do agree with you that Horan should have got a yellow there.”
And I’ve said many times, though my fellow refs may not like to hear it, that the US have had … let’s just say some good fortune with officiating over the years.
Play finally resumes.
90 +4 mins: Clash of heads between Lavelle and van de Donk. Play understandably stops. While the game has been rather spicy in the second half, that wasn’t malicious.
90 +3 mins: Smith does well to create space and put in a cross. Rodman doesn’t quite settle it that well.
The Dutch goal scorer, Jill Roord, leaves the game – too slowly for booing US fans. Renate Jansen is on.
90 +2 mins: Outstanding play from Dutch keeper van Domselaar to stop a through ball from reaching its target.
Play surprisingly continues as two players tangle at midfield.
Still some drama here?
90 +1 mins: Now it’s the USA’s turn to build slowly from the back. It doesn’t work, and the Dutch have possession.
90 mins: My goodness, time flies when you don’t make any subs. For me, anyway. I’m sure the players who’ve been out there chasing the ball in the first half and battling for it in the second would disagree.
Replay – the Dutch defender who headed Fox’s shot clear was actually a forward. Well done, Lieke Martens.
Five minutes of stoppage time.
88 mins: I have the utmost respect for referees and especially for one with the caliber of Yamashita, but how did Horan NOT get a yellow card for a clearly unnecessary (retaliatory) foul against van de Donk?
The Dutch free kick is tame.
87 mins: Kerstin Casparij replaces Victoria Pelova as the game calms slightly.
85 mins: ANOTHER corner for the US. That’s a Spinal Tap-ish 11th.
84 mins: The corner is partially cleared. Emily Fox collects it at the top of the box and drills it. The ball is headed out by an intrepid and well-placed Dutch defender whose number I couldn’t catch.
82 mins: CHANCE, and at long last, Smith and Rodman combine. Smith plays forward to Rodman, who shoots wide from an acute angle.
Leaving the young players in this game this long may be a good thing down the road. Every minute at this point is a new experience for them.
Morgan earns a corner.
81 mins: That’s the first corner for the Dutch. I thought I might have seen a foul, but our ref didn’t, and I’d need a better angle to see.
Dunn slides through Pelova. No call. Pelova wraps her legs around Dunn while they’re both on the ground, like some attempt at jiu-jitsu. That’s called.
80 mins: CHANCE with some masterful passing by the Dutch. Julie Ertz stretches out a leg and probably saves a goal.
79 mins: From Twitter, Never Settle Coin has suggested subs: “I’d pick Huerta, with Williams and Mewis close behind.” That’s not bad.
Justin Kavanaugh: “Van de Donk’s assault on Lindsey Horan looked like a tribute foul to the most famous Dutch World Cup “yellow but should have been a red” offence, Nigel de Jong’s unforgettable karate kick on Xabi Alonso in the 2010 final. For fight fans, this could get tasty!”
Yeah, though I’d rather take a body slam to the midsection than a karate kicks. That said, I’m enjoying sitting on my couch eating jelly beans.
Finally, the Dutch get possession in the US third.
76 mins: Attendance is a little better than 27,000. There are some empty seats.
Bad giveaway from the Dutch. That tussle with Horan and the goal turned this game on its head. I’d love to see stats on pass completion percentages before and after the goal, because I’m a nerd.
74 mins: Dunn takes her turn fouling van de Donk. This might be a pattern, but I’d suggest that only players without yellows from the preceding game (or this one) take a shot.
Mary Waltz: “The Panic of the Fox crew is palpable. I don’t think the half was as tragic as Alexi and Carli intimated. “they must win this game” As you pointed out pre game this is simply not the case. Winning this game is obviously preferable but this is a young team, a new coach and a tough compition. Every 4 years it’s a new team and the past glory is not a given. Fox might be ready to jump off the cliff but I am reserving judgement.”
Absolutely, though again, I think Spain and Germany are watching this and thinking they can do for 90 minutes what the Dutch did for 60.
73 mins: Sophia Smith gets the ball and is immediately surrounded by four players. She’s not able to do anything with it.
72 mins: Maybe don’t sub anyone. This is going rather well for the US. Another corner kick, and Lavelle takes it again …
… and Julie Ertz barges through the middle of the field and slams into the keeper. Spitse has a few words with Ertz.
70 mins: Not stringing together thousands of passes now, these Dutch players are.
Sub: Egurrola replaces Snoeijs.
Pretend you’re Vlatko Andonovski. Who comes in for the US?
67 mins: Ball in the net, but Alex Morgan was clearly offside.
Still – the momentum is not with the team in orange.
A guy in the stands wants to see a replay. OK, man. The result will be the same.
67 mins: Horan tangles with van de Donk again. She got a yeallow in the first game, you know.
64 mins: I don’t think Lindsey Horan needed any extra motivation to score a World Cup goal. But having such an emphatic answer from the captain after her feud with van de Donk won’t hurt.
You poked the bear, Danielle van de Donk.
GOAL! USA 1-1 Netherlands (Horan 62)
Best way to send a message for Horan would be to score, says Aly Wagner.
Lavelle’s corner goes right to her head, and she buries it.
WHO ELSE BUT HORAN?!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023
What a finish to level the score for the @USWNT 🎯🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/N9Tq3eiox1
Updated
61 mins: Never Settle Coin: “You’re way off with ‘tactics v athleticism’, but then you’re Ok with blaming bad commentary on a too-small TV (2015 WWC). USA team has few hrs together. We lost 6 starters (700+ caps!) + Macario to injury and 3 others have almost zero USWNT play time in ~12 months.”
The injury concerns are valid. The US also lost Mallory Swanson, by far their leading scorer this year.
We’ll have a US corner in a bit. The referee is busy mediating between van de Donk and Horan right now. Again – teammates at Lyon. But Horan isn’t interested in hearing anything right now.
59 mins: People are still using the service formerly known as Twitter.
Bunny Lake: “there are 2 teams on the pitch and not the usa has a goal and more possession. deal with it.”
Was I not? Sorry about that.
Danielle van de Donk just pile-drove her shoulder into Lindsey Horan – her teammate at Lyon! The tough US captain is down for a bit.
57 mins: Another spell of US possession. It’s not the free-flowing passes that the Dutch have managed – it’s more of a “lose possession but win it back” style – but it’s working.
Alex Morgan tries a backheel to Lavelle. Clever.
Corner, USA. Cleared.
55 mins: This is better for the US, and a cross was just another inch or so of height away from landing at the feet of a wide-open Alex Morgan.
53 mins: A good spell for the US at the top of the Dutch penalty area, but the final pass isn’t there.
In fairness to the US, if we’re going to talk about Miedema’s absence, we could also mention that Samantha Mewis would’ve been an ideal person to introduce into this game.
52 mins: More Dutch possession.
I still think the US will come up with a big play or two and turn this around for a result. I also think Spain and Germany are watching this game and salivating.
51 mins: The first yellow card at last, and it goes to Rose Lavelle, who’s already lashing out in frustration after being on the field for barely five minutes.
50 mins: “If you were the Dutch, would you change anything?” asks the great commentator JP Dellacamera.
“No!” says Aly Wagner with a laugh.
48 mins: And now the women in orange have it again. Imagine if Miedema was playing …
46 mins: Lavelle replaces DeMelo. For the Netherlands, Aniek Nouwen replaces van der Gragt, who had a bit of an injury issue near the end of the first half.
US start with solid possession.
Right on cue … here’s Rose Lavelle.
Netherlands completed 285 passes to the USA’s 179 in the first half.
Kickoff …
More mail, quickly:
Torran Turner: “Gotta be said, the US are repeating a pattern here - wasteful in front of goal against Vietnam (could easily have been 6 or 7 nil). Wasteful now of their chances so far against the Netherlands. Shots off target. Chances not quite taken. Yes, the skill gap is rapidly diminishing - particularly amongst the higher ranked teams - but whisper it, this USA team looks *very* beatable by the likes of Spain and Sweden.”
Based on what we’ve seen so far, Spain could match what Brazil did to the US in 2007. But I think Vlatko Andonovski has a better chance of fixing it than Greg Ryan did, for a whole host of reasons.
Nathalie Jans: “What’s the issue with the number of passes on the Dutch side? Do you not like that style of game play? Sorry if this is a dumb question.”
Not a dumb question. A smart style of play – at least, once they started getting past midfield with it.
Justin Kavanagh: “These referees being given microphones on the world stage worries me, I must admit. In our age of narcissism and viral fame-seeking, how long can it be until a woman in black breaks out with a bout of womansplaining a red card for dissent, interspersed maybe with an Arethaesque musical plea for “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”? Or a penalty given to the tune of Beyonce’s “Check on it”?”
Considering that all we’ve seen so far is an awkward “after … review … it is … penalty,” that would be an improvement.
Stephen Mitchell takes issue with my criticism of DeMelo.
Sydney Nash: “My friend Morgan and I are watching the game from an outdoor bar in sweltering Chicago, IL and following along with the minute by minute. Thanks, we love it! However, we were very disappointed to see that one our favorite aspects of the Men’s World Cup coverage, the pennant watch (picture attached for reference) was not making its rightful triumphant return. We would be happy to provide our thoughts on each team’s pennants if that would be helpful.”
I’ll ask …
The mailbag is restless, and we should point out that an earlier draft of Citizen Kane saw the protagonist saying “Rose Lavelle,” not “Rosebud.”
Liisa Sletzinger: “as an american soccer fan i never thought i’d feel the sinking discomfort of being overrated. it’s crazy how much a team can deteriorate in four years. i was in lyon in 2019 and even with a strong squad, we would’ve been nothing without Lavelle vs the Netherlands. hope i’m proven wrong.”
Alexi Lalas noted at halftime that if they’re not going to change the formation, they need to improve the players, and he mentioned Lavelle.
That was after Ariane Hingst and Carli Lloyd demonstrated the difference between Europe and the US, with Hingst pointing out a bevy of tactical mistakes on the Dutch goal and afterwards, while Lloyd used her “Jersey bluntness” to say the team needs to play with more heart. Heart, maybe, but they also need more brains.
Halftime: USA 0-1 Netherlands
If you’re one of those pedantic people who’ve been insisting for years that the European emphasis on developing tactically sound and technically proficient players will one day push these teams past US teams that rely too heavily on athleticism and “mentality,” the past 45 minutes will help you make your case.
But I’m one of those people, and I think it’s too soon to say I told you so. The Dutch haven’t looked that dangerous aside from the goal, and the US just seem poised to convert one swift move or one set piece into an equalizer at any time.
We’ll see. Compelling stuff in any case.
45 +3 mins: That is a petulant sweep of the legs by DeMelo there, and inexplicably, she isn’t carded for it. The young midfielder hasn’t been too overawed at this Cup, but she might be a prime candidate to be replaced at the half.
45 +2 mins: While Lindsey Horan wonders what it’ll take for someone to pass her the ball while she’s wide open in the middle of the field 30 yards out, Smith neatly beats one defender but doesn’t beat the second.
45 mins: We’ll have three minutes of stoppage time. We had a merciful lack of stoppages this time. Just the goal celebration and a couple of brief injury breaks.
44 mins: Oh, that’s a flop by DeMelo. Our referee falls for it. I reserve the right to change my mind based on replays I can’t see, but she went to ground awfully easily there. The free kick goes nowhere.
43 mins: Aly Wagner is one of the most tactically and technically proficient players the US women’s team ever had. Now a Fox commentator, she is marveling at the Dutch possession and movement. Then, of course, they shank a pass straight to Dunn.
Updated
42 mins: A touch for Smith! And it’s only a touch before the Dutch resume keepaway. The young US star has been awfully quiet.
40 mins: Are we sick of me saying the Netherlands are completing (an exaggerated number of) passes? Yes? OK. You get the idea.
39 mins: DeMelo with an armbar at the top of the Dutch penalty area, and that’s a foul.
But the US get it back, earn a free kick of their own, take it quickly, and maintain possession.
37 mins: Trainers tend to van der Gragt. She doesn’t seem seriously hurt, but the players are happy for a water break, and the coaches are happy for an opportunity to do whatever coaches do.
We mentioned the denim stars jerseys earlier, yes? Here’s player-turned-commentator Jordan Angeli modeling that vintage look.
35 mins: Morgan is working on the left again, and it’s dangerous. She drives a cross toward Rodman that’s deflected back to her, and she then wins a corner.
Not sure where Smith fits into that attack, though.
The corner goes to Ertz, who tries a header that would probably smash my spine if I tried it. That deflects for another corner, and this time it’s Horan heading it wide.
33 mins: Another 3,300 passes from the Dutch, though to be fair, the US aren’t pressing all that hard. They finally force a long pass, and the US defenders claim it with ease.
31 mins: Smith may think she was fouled, but truthfully, she held the ball far too long.
But the US regain possession, DeMelo is fouled, and Sullivan is lined up to take a free kick 45 yards out. She sends it square to Girma, and the young center back floats it into the box, where it’s knocked out for a corner.
30 min: The Dutch complete another 4,500 passes on either side of midfield. It’s vaguely mesmerizing.
Then they get it ahead, but the key pass just isn’t there.
And here comes Smith the other way …
29 mins: Ertz leaps onto a player’s back to win a header, but the Dutch keep possession. Rodman tries to clear, but Janssen has come forward and rips a one-time shot that nestles in the top of the net.
27 mins: Now Andi Sullivan gets a lecture after leaving her foot in a belligerent place. None of these fouls either way are bad, as such, but they’re aggravatingly frequent.
24 mins: Another promising possession for the Dutch. Then a truly needless foul, with Snoeijs tugging at Dunn’s shirt like she’s trying to get her attention to buy her a piece of candy at the boardwalk.
And another foul draws a lecture, as Brugts bangs into Fox. Not too much in it, really.
Then another foul … are they serious? The US usually get favorable calls, but the Dutch are making it impossible for our referee NOT to blow the whistle.
The world feed shows us that Roord’s goal was 17.3 meters. OK then.
22 mins: Morgan gets her head to the corner, but not in any sort of controlled fashion.
Joe Pearson has a shirt question: “As I watched a pre-match feature on Alex Morgan, there was a clip of the red and white hoops jersey with blue shorts. Can we make this the classic USA uniform? Please!? All the great international teams have iconic unis. Why not this one for the USA?”
Because we have to sell new shirts every few months. (Sorry, promised not to be cynical. In any case, I liked the 1994 denim stars shirt.)
21 mins: You can’t give this US team a lot of chances from set pieces. They earn a corner, and Julie Ertz makes the long walk up the field, where she can be very dangerous.
20 mins: The Netherlands are now passing around just beyond midfield rather than in their own half. Must have gained some confidence there.
Oh, wait, now they’re back in their own half.
Mary Waltz checks in from California: “Beau, greetings from California. You promised not to be too ‘cynical’ about the US coverage of the WC. I will be cynical for you. I am rooting so hard for the US women and am so proud of them. But the wall to wall, All USWNT all the time coverage by Fox makes me ill. It’s the WORLD Cup, I would actually like to learn about the other squads in the event. At least 50% of every single minute of Fox coverage is about the US squad. What happens if they lose in the knockout round?”
Updated
19 mins: CHANCE for the US to equalize immediately, with Rodman letting fly from medium-long range. It’s well-saved, and the ensuing corner comes to naught.
GOAL! USA 0-1 Netherlands (Roord 17)
One touch, one strike, one lead for the Netherlands 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/ExXulFcJoQ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023
Martens plays wide right, and the play seems to be lost. But the US fail to clear, and Pelova plays it back to Roord at the top of the box. She settles, goes for placement over power, and it’s 1-0. A lovely finish.
Updated
16 mins: The Dutch continue to play keepaway in their own half. Oh, wait, it goes forward to Martens, and …
14 mins: Our referee is setting a tone early. Quit fouling. As a referee myself, albeit about 200 levels lower, I like it.
A US free kick from about 45 or 50 yards out goes about 50 or 55 yards without touching anyone.
13 mins: We have a Dutch player down while her teammates continue the attack. It’s Martens. She straggles to her feet eventually.
Remember when teams would play the ball out to take care of injured players?
12 mins: Not sure if Dunn meant to shoot that or thread it to Morgan. Either way, it’s deflected and collected by the keeper.
11 mins: Another 4,000 or so completed passes in their own half for the Netherlands. They cross midfield and complete maybe two more before losing it.
I’m calling it now. 2-0 US.
9 mins: You can tell that the US has a bit more concern about the Dutch attack than it did about Vietnam’s. They aren’t flooding forward as recklessly, and one attack breaks down for a lack of numbers.
But they’re picking their spots, and they’re starting to get some half-chances. DeMelo puts a shot wide, and Rodman comes close to swiping the ball from Dutch keeper van Domselaar.
8 mins: Andi Sullivan commits the first US foul. The Dutch respond by taking their free kick backwards and completing roughly 4,000 passes in their own half. Impressive, but that’s not going to win the game.
6 mins: Did I hear a whistle? Did someone in the Dutch defense hear a whistle? Or did they just let a diagonal ball from Crystal Dunn get too close to Alex Morgan for no reason?
5 mins: To illustrate the point, Emily Fox turns and finds herself face-to-face with Brugts. Fox simply knocks the ball past the young Dutch midfielder and sprints past her. Brugts stops her with what the NFL would call a “horse-collar tackle.” Our referee would call it a foul.
Updated
4 mins: The Dutch are pressing early. So far, the US is coping with it pretty well.
3 mins: The ball is played down the left, where Alex Morgan is unusually placed. She centers, and it’s a bit awkward for the Dutch defense here.
1 min: A Dutch player accidentally kicks the ball into her own face. We don’t know who, because the world TV feed had other priorities. We presume she’s OK.
Kickoff, and Alyssa Naeher gets her first touch early. It’s breezy in Wellington.
Our referee here is Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita, who has already made history as the first referee to offer an audio explanation of a VAR call in a major international match. She also served as a fourth official at men’s World Cup games in 2022.
Updated
As you prepare to watch one of the best teams in Europe face off against the US, you may be wondering how you can keep tabs on action on both sides of the Atlantic. You may prefer to get that news and analysis from one of the world’s best writers on the global game. Good news. You can get Jonathan’s Wilson’s email newsletter for free.
Let’s take a quick look at the US women’s group-stage history to put this game in perspective …
Not surprisingly, they’ve won most of the group-stage games in their history. But not all, and a wayward result in an early game doesn’t necessarily spell disaster down the road.
In 1995, the defending champions drew China but still won the group on their way to a semifinal loss against once-mighty Norway.
In 2007, the US drew 2-2 against North Korea. That may come as a surprise to people who’ve read the revisionist histories suggesting that Hope Solo had kept a string of clean sheets before being benched in the semifinals that year, where Brazil annihilated the US 4-0. (No, Solo wouldn’t have won that game for them. At best, maybe 3-0 instead of 4-0.)
In 2011, the US lost 2-1 to Sweden. They still made the final after surviving one of the greatest games in their history, advancing on penalties after a 2-2 draw forged by That Pass from Megan Rapinoe to Abby Wambach against Brazil. The great Homare Sawa led Japan to victory in the final.
In 2015, the US against faced Sweden. This time, they drew 0-0. Still won the Cup.
They actually faced Sweden again in 2019, but the third time was the charm, as the US won 2-0.
Obviously, the US wants to win the group and get a more favorable matchup in the round of 16, especially now that the World Cup features maybe six or seven teams who could beat them on any given day. But this isn’t a must-win. A loss or draw could actually be a learning experience for this young team.
Netherlands lineup
The Guardian network’s profile writer, Steven Kooijman, says coach Andries Jonker ditched the 4-3-3 to run with a 5-3-2 with wingbacks. Today’s formation is listed as a 3-5-2, but the difference between a 5-3-2 and 3-5-2 is really a question of attitude, isn’t it?
Forward Lineth Beerensteyn will miss this game with an injury. Vivianne Miedema, sadly, will miss this entire tournament. Miedema ranked sixth in The Guardian’s most recent listing of the top 100 players in the world.
GK: Daphne van Domselaar (Aston Villa) is No 95 on that top 100.
D: Stefanie van der Gragt, who is retiring after this Cup, has the difficult task of being the lone center back, flanked by Dominique Janssen (Wolfsburg) and the captain, Sherida Spitse (Ajax).
M: You can call Victoria Pelova (Arsenal), Esmee Brugts (free agent at age 19) “midfielders” or you can call them “wing-backs.” Probably depends on how the game is going. Attacking force Jill Roord (Manchester City) and Danielle van de Donk (Lyon) are 60th and 75th on The Guardian’s list, and they’re joined today by box-to-box midfielder Jackie Groenen (PSG).
F: Katja Snoeijs (Everton) wins the honor of playing alongside Lieke Martens (PSG), who’s ranked No 42 on The Guardian’s list.
Updated
US lineup
US Soccer notes that only four players in the starting XI also started the 2019 World Cup final – goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, left back Crystal Dunn, center mid/center back Julie Ertz, and forward Alex Morgan.
Today, I happened to bump into a soccer coach I know who lives here but comes from the Netherlands. He would bench all four of those players. I reminded him that USWNT coaches who bench veterans tend to become former USWNT coaches very quickly.
The captain is once again midfielder Lindsey Horan, who’s joined in midfield against by Andi Sullivan and the inexperienced but talented Savannah DeMelo, whose first start (and second cap) as a US player was against Vietnam.
Naomi Girma anchors the back line, where Ertz may need to join her from time to time rather than spending as much of the game forward as she did against Vietnam. Emily Fox is the right back.
The prodigies, Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman, flank Morgan up front.
But first, I’m being asked for my thoughts on US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone …
I first met her in 1998? 1997? Somewhere in that vicinity? I was covering the NCAA women’s soccer tournament. She was utterly dominant.
Since her playing days, she has coached at the pro level and served in many capacities in US Soccer.
During her presidency, she has overseen a budget bailout that her critics will say went too far or was misguided. Cutting the Development Academy (which was really a league rather than an academy) was a controversial move, though a lot of people – especially in girls soccer – found the DA was too overbearing.
She played a vital role in settling the US women’s lawsuit and reaching a new CBA that has pleased both teams. But did she give the teams too much? People working at the grassroots, where US Soccer seriously needs to spend, would say yes. But did she have a choice? Given the one-sided pressure from the media, which has little empathy for players once they become “management” (even if they’re unpaid volunteers, which the president is), maybe not.
Does that answer your question, more or less?
Happy to take anyone else’s thoughts on the matter, but I’d also rather talk about the game (the US lineup is out, and it’s unchanged from the first game) or whether Golden Earring is the best band ever to hail from the Netherlands.
Howdy everyone. Glad to be here for another session of commentary, and I promise not to be too cynical about the way the US women’s national team and Women’s World Cup broadcasts are marketed.
Yes, it’s a rematch. But that matters less than taking care of business and getting through the group stage.
And both teams have plenty of questions to answer. The US wasn’t really tested against Vietnam, who barely had the ball in the attacking third the whole way. The Netherlands looked unconvincing against Portugal, and injuries may keep a low ceiling on this team’s potential here.
So it’s a rematch third, a test of form second, and “taking care of business” first.
Let’s watch, shall we?
Updated
Beau will be here shortly, in the meantime here’s Jeff Kassouf in Wellington with a preview of today’s match:
For nine months, players and coaches from the United States and the Netherlands have deflected questions about the impending rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. For nine months, they stressed that each team had a group stage match to play before they met, and that they would approach the tournament one game at a time.
Now, the moment has arrived, and there is no getting around it: Thursday’s match in Wellington is likely to decide the group winner and, with it, the pathway if the teams are to return to the final. This is the game the teams – and fans around the world – have been anticipating since the World Cup draw in October.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a challenge,” the USA head coach, Vlatko Andonovski, said on Wednesday. “They are a great team, very organized, a very disciplined team. We saw in the first game that they played [a 1-0 victory over Portugal] that they are going to have a threat on every line. But at the same time, I want to say that we’re ready for it. We’ve trained a lot, prepared a lot for this moment and especially this game and we’re excited and looking forward to it.”
You can read the full article below:
