The United States and the Netherlands kicked off the Round of 16 this morning. The Stars and Stripes had early opportunities to score, but an overpowering offense from the Dutch led to a 3-1 victory for the Netherlands.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The United States had an early opportunity to go ahead, but Christian Pulisic couldn’t get the ball past Andres Noppert and the game stayed scoreless.
In the 10th minute, Memphis Depay got past Tyler Adams and scorched one past Matt Turner to give the Dutch an early lead. This was the first time all tournament that the Stars and Stripes have trailed in a match.
After more missed opportunities by the US, Daley Blind put the Netherlands up 2-0 right before the half off of a sloppy turnover by the United States.
In the 77th minute, Haji Wright made contact with the ball off the back of his heel and lofted one into the net to cut the lead to 2-1 after a great pass from Christian Pulisic.
However, the Dutch delivered the fatal blow in the 81st minute when Denzel Dumfries was left wide open at the back post and slipped one past Turner. Dumfries assisted the first two goals for the Netherlands and then got the third goal.
The final whistle blew as the Americans fell 3-1.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The US allowed three goals to the Dutch, including two in the first half as the States fell to the Netherlands 3-1.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Denzel Dumfries
Dumfries had an excellent game for the Dutch, assisting on the first two goals before scoring the third and finishing the job for the Netherlands.
UP NEXT: The US will now prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which they will be the host country for.