Missed possibilities, expertise hole expensive in World Cup exit

AL RAYYAN, Qatar — After using a stout, organized protection to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup, the USA males’s nationwide crew didn’t carry the identical sharpness to the spherical of 16 in a 3-1 loss to the Netherlands.

The US conceded only one aim, and none from open play, because it completed second in Group B behind England. However in Saturday’s first knockout sport, every aim got here at an important second the place it appeared just like the US was constructing momentum and having the higher of the play.

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“Up to now three video games, I would say we defended the moments actually, very well,” US captain Tyler Adams mentioned. “And right now the three objectives come from moments the place we’re in all probability sleeping a bit bit.”

The US beginning lineup was the second youngest on the 2022 World Cup (25 years, 86 days) second solely to the US XI that started the final match in opposition to Iran (24 years, 321 days).

And, whereas which means there’s loads of room for encouragement waiting for the 2026 World Cup, which might be hosted by the USA together with Canada and Mexico, Adams instructed it could have price the crew on this night time.

“It is thrilling, the extra time collectively the extra development we must always have,” he instructed FOX.

“However having mentioned that we nonetheless must develop individually to extra mature gamers for moments like this so we will come out on prime. Like I mentioned it comes right down to the moments and right now you may see a bit bit extra skilled crew received the higher of us.”

For the sport’s first 9 minutes, the US had the majority of the possession and created, maybe, the sport’s finest scoring likelihood within the third minute when Christian Pulisic was denied from shut vary by goalkeeper Andries Noppert.

“It hurts, man. It hurts,” Pulisic mentioned of the miss. “I assumed I used to be approach offside when it occurred, however I nonetheless hit it and he made an excellent save. It will damage for some time.”

Whereas that lack of innovative plagued the US all through qualifying and within the first three video games, the Netherlands confirmed what scientific ending seems to be like.

It took till the tenth minute for the Dutch to make an actual push into the People’ defensive third, nevertheless it did so on a good looking passing sequence that noticed Denzel Dumfries in the reduction of a move to the late-arriving Memphis Depay — who left behind Adams and was free within the field — for the opening aim.

“Their first assault was principally a aim and the way lengthy did it take him to generate an assault? We have been clearly on prime, clearly dominant,” US coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned.

“We had an excellent second, aim scoring alternative earlier than that we did not rating. It is simply moments {that a} participant’s off a bit bit right here or there and it finally ends up behind the online. And whenever you play at this stage, whenever you play this prime quality, that is what occurs.”

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The aim might need appeared prefer it got here in opposition to the run of play, nevertheless it was precisely the kind of second Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal hoped to arrange by sitting deep for many of the sport.

Netherlands center-back Virgil van Dijk mentioned they knew the US midfield was the energy of the crew and purposely did not apply a lot stress to the US backline so as to make issues harder for the US midfield of Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie and Adams.

The US had some vibrant moments of possession — significantly from Tim Weah and Sergino Dest — nevertheless it didn’t generate a lot via the middle, the place Jesus Ferreira began at striker.

Ferreria mentioned he was instructed to drop deeper than the US strikers — Josh Sargent (unavailable as a result of an ankle harm) and Haji Wright — did of their first three video games to attempt to open area behind, however the plan did not work and Gio Reyna was subbed on on the half in his place.

Seconds earlier than halftime, the Dutch scored off a throw-in on an comparable sequence to the primary. Dumfries, once more, in the reduction of a move into the field and captain Daley Blind calmly completed.

The US received a chaotic, fluky aim again via Wright within the 71st minute, to which the Dutch additionally rapidly answered in systemic trend.