Day 14: Netherlands vs USA | Argentina vs Australia (Last 16 1&2)

I have to admit I was one one of the people who thought the USA had a decent chance of beating the Netherlands and was definitely wrong. But then again in their last 4 World Cup appearances if we discount the non-appearance in Russia, they've only won 3 matches, against Algeria (2010), Ghana (2014) and Iran (2022), so there's still work to be done for them to reach the next level and be in a position to take on the stronger European teams.

Like others I think they will definitely be a stronger proposition on home soil in 2026. Their 2 glaring weaknesses at this tournament were the lack of the a reliable striker / finisher, and Berhalter who IMO holds them back and is not up to the job.
 
GuybrushThreepwood said:
I have to admit I was one one of the people who thought the USA had a decent chance of beating the Netherlands and was definitely wrong. But then again in their last 4 World Cup appearances if we discount the non-appearance in Russia, they've only won 3 matches, against Algeria (2010), Ghana (2014) and Iran (2022), so there's still work to be done for them to reach the next level and be in a position to take on the stronger European teams.

Like others I think they will definitely be a stronger proposition on home soil in 2026. Their 2 glaring weaknesses at this tournament were the lack of the a reliable striker / finisher, and Berhalter who IMO holds them back and is not up to the job.
Click to expand...
The thing about Berhalter is that you can't even feel sorry or root for him as he comes across as such an arrogant asshole.
 
Pele in End Of Life Care now. Such sad news. Would be beautiful if Brazil won this World Cup in his memory
 
Feels like we might get a lot of easy ties, a lot of those underdogs spent too much energy trying to get to this round.
 
GuybrushThreepwood said:
I have to admit I was one one of the people who thought the USA had a decent chance of beating the Netherlands and was definitely wrong. But then again in their last 4 World Cup appearances if we discount the non-appearance in Russia, they've only won 3 matches, against Algeria (2010), Ghana (2014) and Iran (2022), so there's still work to be done for them to reach the next level and be in a position to take on the stronger European teams.

Like others I think they will definitely be a stronger proposition on home soil in 2026. Their 2 glaring weaknesses at this tournament were the lack of the a reliable striker / finisher, and Berhalter who IMO holds them back and is not up to the job.
Click to expand...
I still think they weren’t a bad shout, if Pulisic had scored early and the Dutch were chasing it would have suited USA, instead the midfield totally went missing and allowed the Dutch to walk through and take the lead and from there it was always going to be tough against a side who’ll happily just sit and pick their moments.
 
WI_Red said:
The thing about Berhalter is that you can't even feel sorry or root for him as he comes across as such an arrogant asshole.
Click to expand...

Agreed. He comes across as both clueless and deeply unlikeable, so not a good combination.

As someone not from the US (though I spent a lot of time there) but who would happy to see the team doing well and improving, I'm still optimistic about their future, specially with more and more players gaining invaluable experience at clubs in top European leagues. Within CONCACAF I'm fully expecting them to pull away from Mexico (who I support as my second favourite NT). I'm excited to see how they will get on in 2026.

But on the flipside Berhalter is definitely a hindrance. That was clear to many people including me during the qualifying campaign.
 
A very un LVG side I have to say. They were boring but they didn't control the game or kept possession. Just kicked it away a lot of times. But you always felt that they could shift gears when needed.
 
hellhunter said:
I know the US had more possession and shots, but it still feels like they were thoroughly outclassed all over the pitch (and the bench) by Holland
Click to expand...
Felt the same. One of those matches where people can look at the stats and think "oh, so unlucky" for the US, when really, the Dutch looked extremely comfortable and in control for the majority of the match.
 
GuybrushThreepwood said:
Agreed. He comes across as both clueless and deeply unlikeable, so not a good combination.

As someone not from the US (though I spent a lot of time there) but who would happy to see the team doing well and improving, I'm still optimistic about their future, specially with more and more players gaining invaluable experience at clubs in top European leagues. Within CONCACAF I'm fully expecting them to pull away from Mexico (who I support as my second favourite NT). I'm excited to see how they will get on in 2026.

But on the flipside Berhalter is definitely a hindrance. That was clear to many people including me during the qualifying campaign.
Click to expand...

Yep. If you are going to be that arrogant, and if everyone knows that the guy who hired you was also your brother, you better be damn good at your job. He's not.

Our last 6 managers have been all MLS guys and Jurgen. If we recognize we need our best players to go to Europe to excel at the game then how the hell can US Soccer not see that our coaches need the same training. And by training I don't mean spending a week at Pep's house. Either hire a progressive European/South American manager or get coaches over there to learn. Otherwise, we are going to keep playing this same basic, and ineffective, bullshit.
 
Isotope said:
US had as many good chances as Netherlands, and dominated the midfield. So Netherlands defence is as bad as US defensively, and their midfield is even worse.
Click to expand...
One was more through creation and the other through sloppy mistakes/carelessness, but yeah anyway. As a neutral that's how I saw it. Netherlands just far better and comfortable throughout, and when they needed to step up they regained their 2 goal lead instantly.
 
Pulisic, Ream, Wright had good chances and spurned them. It’s a game of inches. Man for man Holland is a lot better, but on the day you never know what can happen. They allowed us to have more possession knowing we just wouldn’t have a lot of ideas in the final third. Several defensive lapses combined with naïve managerial decisions and suspect personnel, and we lose.

I didn’t see us get outplayed. The Dutch created clear chances and put them away, and we created half-chances and failed to convert them. That’s football. That uncertainty of a worse team beating a better team is one of the selling points of the game.

This was not a good team performance from us. We can’t seem to get a full roster of good players. Traditionally we produce top keepers, some good strikers like McBride and Dempsey, some good talents like Tab Ramos. Currently have a good keeper and a good midfield, but no strikers, and our fullbacks were naive. Make no mistake: we were the underdogs today, but this ‘men against boys’ thing is just trolling.
 
bosnian_red said:
One was more through creation and the other through sloppy mistakes/carelessness, but yeah anyway. As a neutral that's how I saw it. Netherlands just far better and comfortable throughout, and when they needed to step up they regained their 2 goal lead instantly.
Click to expand...

Understood. In overall, Netherlands deserve the win. It wasn't an easy win, though. I don't understand this fawning over LVG. If we swapped the managers, I don't think LVG could even make the game as close as this.
 
TheGame said:
Don’t know much about this. Why do US fans hate the coach?
Click to expand...
I think it’s because he makes a lot of questionable decisions, in terms of players selected and tactics. I like him more than the last few managers we’ve had, but he’s just average. I think Bob Bradley would have done more with this team, and even he was enthralled to an outmoded style.
 
TheGame said:
Don’t know much about this. Why do US fans hate the coach?
Click to expand...

A couple of things:

1. After the debacle of 2018, we were promised that the US would conduct a thorough and intense search to find a coach who could bring a progressive style to the US to match all of the young, European based, players. Instead, we hired the brother of one of the guys in charge of the hiring. A guy who had a 35% win percentage in MLS and made the finals once, and lost.

2. When he came in he could not stop talking about his "philosophy" and how it was going to be the players jobs to adapt to it. His philosophy included playing Tyler Adams as a right back and Tim Ream as a left back.

3. WCQ was almost a disaster and included some absolute debacles where the US looked outclassed tactically. If not for Pepi coming off the bench in Honduras at halftime to rescue the game we may not have qualified.

4. He is more interested in his sneaker game and wearing T-shirts on the touchline than coaching it seems.

5. He signature thing is bounce passes to players to take throw ins. You know, like he one he tried in the 88th minute that he bounced all the way back to the goalie when Yedlin was 5 feet from him.

6. He comes across as an asshole.
 
Genuine question…does anyone know why Holland play in Orange.

teams typically play in national flag colours. But not these guys. When did Orange become their home kit
 
Pughnichi said:
Genuine question…does anyone know why Holland play in Orange.

teams typically play in national flag colours. But not these guys. When did Orange become their home kit
Click to expand...
Probably because their monarchy is from the House of Orange
 
Pughnichi said:
Genuine question…does anyone know why Holland play in Orange.

teams typically play in national flag colours. But not these guys. When did Orange become their home kit
Click to expand...
The monarchs of the netherlands are from the house of Orange-Nassau
 
Dazzmondo said:
Pele in End Of Life Care now. Such sad news. Would be beautiful if Brazil won this World Cup in his memory
Click to expand...
Brazil NT doesn't channel such emotive stuff positively. They'd be better off without the background noise about it.
 
Isotope said:
Understood. In overall, Netherlands deserve the win. It wasn't an easy win, though. I don't understand this fawning over LVG. If we swapped the managers, I don't think LVG could even make the game as close as this.
Click to expand...

LVG would have easily identified the threat of the wingbacks and slow the game down by staying positionally disciplined.

Slogging it out and knicking a goal is a fine setup in tournament football. Something Berhalter doesn't care to abide by, which is his ignorance and arrogance holding his team back.
 
If Argentina get through, I actually fancy the Dutch to beat them. They've been ordinary and their manager seems to make baffling selections.
 
TheReligion said:
I see your points but I feel you’re getting a little carried away.

The team, with the right coach, has potential. Still a long way off competing with the very best sides in Europe though. A lot more than just a number 9 put it that way.
Click to expand...

with the right coach is really the odds on question.....we definitely still have work to do in order to challenge the top sides in Europe but the match against England shows the potential is there. It'll be interesting to see the direction the federation takes over the coming months and next year
 
So Papu Gomez starts in place of Di Maria. Not so sure of that
 
bosskeano said:
with the right coach is really the odds on question.....we definitely still have work to do in order to challenge the top sides in Europe but the match against England shows the potential is there. It'll be interesting to see the direction the federation takes over the coming months and next year
Click to expand...

Federation will give him 2 years then made a decision, which is wrong. They don't have to worry about qualifying, so build through an experienced international team manager for four years who has clear variations of a couple ways of playing and getting the best out of the best players.
 
edcunited1878 said:
Federation will give him 2 years then made a decision, which is wrong. They don't have to worry about qualifying, so build through an experienced international team manager for four years who has clear variations of a couple ways of playing and getting the best out of the best players.
Click to expand...
Can't give him 2 years b/c you need to bring in someone, if you plan on making a change, who can get right away into identifying new players and creating a new player pool
 
Tactical masterclass from LVG really. Pulisic scores that goal in the 2nd minute, maybe it turns out differently, but he didn't and Holland was clinical with their chances.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.