The pregame chatter largely centered round Netherlands supervisor Andries Jonker’s quotes within the Matchday -1 press convention. It definitely had USWNT followers getting somewhat tight within the seat. In full:
“The depth in European soccer actually has grown the final couple of years, in addition to the health,” he mentioned, per ESPN. “Previously, the American ladies had been loads fitter than the remainder of the world, however I actually suppose these days are over. For those who have a look at the Champions League these days, you see the identical stage of depth. So the large query is now, what’s left of their superiority? Let’s see about that.”
The factor is, he’s proper. And the primary 45 minutes of the US-Netherlands match couldn’t have proved him extra so. Fortunately for the Yanks, video games are 90 minutes lengthy.
The USWNT survives the Netherlands…barely
The US has all the time thrived on their athleticism. Their technical abilities have dropped behind the European powers, and that’s been the case for a while. It very properly might need been the case in 2019. The US was simply in a position to intestine their method out each jam. They acquired out on the counter, they scored on set items, they muscled their method in protection. One can not have watched, say, Spain or Japan or Germany on this event, or England within the Euros final summer season, and suppose that the US can knock the ball round higher than any of them. It’s not their method, and it hasn’t been.
For the primary 45, the Dutch gave the US a primary lesson in what that appears like, with the additional advantage of some tactical planning from Vlatko Andonovski that appeared prefer it was drawn up by somebody locked in a panic room with solely CCTV for the previous month.
I can’t consider I’m saying this, however Alexei Lalas had it spot on at halftime. It’s hardly a secret that the Dutch play in a 3-5-2, and Lieke Martens typically drops off that entrance two so as to add a fourth in central midfield. And nonetheless Andonovski despatched out his expenses to press man-to-man, the three US forwards towards the three Dutch defenders, the 2 #8s (Lindsey Horan and Savannah Demelo) urgent up towards the Dutch double pivot of Jill Roord and Jackie Groenen. Right here’s what that appeared like:
Besides there have been a bunch of issues with that. One, the three Dutch centerbacks are all very snug on the ball and solely too completely happy to bop round that press when underneath stress. Which scared the US off of going hellbent for leather-based of their press, which then left the Dutch defenders far an excessive amount of time to choose passes to interrupt their strains. Thirdly, the US didn’t regulate to that or to Martens dropping off the entrance line to both aspect of Andi Sullivan in deep midfield, with Danielle van de Donk on the opposite aspect, leaving Sullivan with two folks to mark. It’s a job you’d solely ask the 2019 model of Julie Ertz to carry out. The US don’t have 2019 Julie Ertz. Which led to a whole lot of this:
That is within the lead-up to the Dutch objective. Martens will get the ball behind Demelo however in entrance of Sullivan, however you may see van de Donk fully unmarked on the prime of the middle circle. The Dutch had both possibility. It doesn’t assist that Sullivan isn’t all that fast and her anticipation isn’t the very best both, and Martens fully dances her into the bottom to get the Dutch into the US field the place they’d ultimately rating.
This was the theme of the primary half. Savannah Demelo appeared each bit the participant getting solely her second cap. Sullivan was drowning with what she was requested, and Julie Ertz was hesitant to step out of protection to cowl these gaps, in all probability having one thing to do with not often enjoying protection previously few years.
The USWNT finds a option to get a degree
This was the concern for the US heading into this event, that their midfield isn’t as much as the extent of their assault. Andonovsky in all probability thought that the US would create sufficient turnovers to launch fast counters and get Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman remoted on vast centerbacks, however a workforce wants the ball to try this. The Dutch didn’t give them it.
The factor concerning the US’s athletic benefit, is that even when it didn’t bear fruit early or in the midst of the sport, the US may also outlast groups by the 90. It may very well be argued that the sport hinged when Stefanie van der Gragt needed to be subbed at halftime from the middle of the Dutch protection. Aniek Nouwen was much more jittery with the ball, inflicting them to tug their wingbacks farther again than they’d been. Which pulled the US fullbacks farther ahead, which ate the cat that ate the rat and so forth. Bringing on Rose Lavelle and her better stage of exercise was additionally a boon, forcing her teammates to get extra within the face of their opponents on the press. Ertz was additionally extra prepared to comply with Martens into midfield and deny her area. And as soon as Martens was moved to the #9 place, she type of disappeared from the sport as a result of it’s not likely what she is.
It may not have been an avalanche of probabilities that adopted, however there have been sufficient corners that Horan was in a position to get free to pocket one and get the US a degree.
It’s all the time vital to keep in mind that the US has sufficient star energy to by no means be too deep into hassle. Even when issues are going so tactically unsuitable, Smith or Rodman or Horan or Morgan can get free and supply a second. They solely want a second or two per match to win.
Nonetheless, it’s somewhat onerous to disregard how the US acquired swamped in midfield within the first half and marvel what Spain or Japan, who the US will seemingly see within the final eight, would do with such a bonus. The Dutch had been on their third alternative striker in Katja Snoeijs, who actually didn’t present a lot. Had Lineth Beerensteyn been match, she not less than would have been a menace to get in behind. Vivianne Miedema would have been an throughout menace. You may guess that Jennifer Hermoso or Mina Tanaka might be asking much more questions.
Nonetheless, the US discovered a method. Now the one hazard is that if the Dutch had been to really thwack Vietnam and the US places in type of a ho-hum win towards the Portuguese, which isn’t seemingly. Ought to the US win, the Dutch must outdo them by profitable by three extra objectives than the US do. Can occur,in all probability gained’t, and the US would relatively not must take care of Sweden so quickly.
We knew what the issues had been earlier than the World Cup. They’re even clearer now. The US nonetheless has the firepower to beat it. It’s simply extra of a highwire act than it’s been.
Comply with Sam on Twitter @Feslgate and on Bluesky @felsgate.bsky.social
