The United States were given a grim reality check by a clinical Dutch side still seeking its first World Cup of their own
Second youngest at the FIFA World Cup, team USA crashed out of the Qatar 2022 tournament by a score of 3-1 in the Round of 16 on Saturday to a more ruthless, soccer-savvy Netherlands.
Despite what a select few biased American commentators tried desperately hard to convince their viewers watching back home on Fox to believe, the United States didn’t really come all that close to upsetting their opponents on the day.
Apart from a bright opening to the match, they only truly contended for a fleetingly narrow five-minute window right after they’d scored to make it 2-1, which left the vast majority of the full 90 over to Holland to more or less cruise into the quarterfinals.
The defeat carries just that extra sting to it coming right when more and more people were beginning to take the US Men’s National Team (aka USMNT) seriously as a top-tier global competitor.
More Experienced Dutch Smoked USA off the Pitch
Escaping a tight Group B with a crucial 1-0 win over Iran, conceding just one penalty kick goal along the way, and going undefeated in the group, led many US fans to believe an upset for the ages was in store.
The mere act of advancing to the knockout round meant that team USA would at least get a passing grade for this particular World Cup, regardless of how they performed next.
But it also led pundits back home to consider the USA having as good as a 50/50 chance going into their round-of-16 clash with FIFA’s officially ranked number eight side in the world.
Odds this generous toward the Americans now seem bizarrely inflated in hindsight, with the short-term confidence built up from advancing to the knockout stage pushing them overboard with self-belief.
The 16th-ranked US side was swept away against a superior Dutch side who were content to let their opponents keep 58% possession, sit back, and conserve their energy while waiting for their perfect opportunity to pounce on the USMNT’s infrequent yet pivotal defensive errors.
USA Lacked an Alternative Game Plan When Plan A Failed
You can get away with playing at the ‘good-enough’ level, which saw the USA past countries like Iran and Wales for only so long at a World Cup until you run into a world-class opponent.
To advance past a nation that takes it footballing as seriously as the Netherlands, however, would have required a near-perfect performance which, sadly for their supporters, the US couldn’t quite summon on the day.
What they gave was an inconsistently promising one instead.
What’s more, USA fans will have been left wanting more given that their manager Greg Berhalter can boast considerable experience in the Netherlands, having spent six years there analyzing the game, theoretically with insider information on how the Dutch play.
But just because Holland may not be as star-studded as they were when they reached the finals and semi-finals in 2010 and 2014 doesn’t mean they couldn’t easily brush off an inexperienced US men’s side.
Berhalter’s side now evidently has a gulf in quality to make up for if they wish to compete with the very best when they co-host the tournament with Canada and Mexico in 2026.
The most glaring shortcoming in their current squad comes at center forward after they managed just three goals from a total of four games in the entire World Cup, but they’ll take new exciting players wherever they can get them.
Despite Disappointment, USA Keep Heads Held High
“I’m really proud of this team,” said USMNT star Christian Pulisic right after the match amid bitter defeat, undeterred by everything that could have gone better.
Disappointed fans back home may not have been thrilled to hear their number 10 was reacting to elimination with pride. Still, at the very least, they can accept Pulisic has cause for optimism, given how many of his teammates will be closer to their footballing prime in a few years.
Not joining the likes of Germany, Mexico, and Belgium as surprise sides eliminated in the first round of a highly competitive tournament that takes place once every four years means they have cause for short-term disappointment, not long-term despair.
Just maybe, if all preparation goes to plan, the next time team USA meets a side of the Dutch’s calibre in a World Cup match, they’ll be able to smoke them off the pitch instead.
