DOHA, Qatar — The younger U.S. males had been unflappable on the World Cup. Till they weren’t.
After displaying composure effectively past their years all through the group stage, together with a clampdown on mighty England, the People had a collection of uncharacteristic miscues Saturday that doomed any probability they’d of reaching the quarterfinals for the primary time in 20 years. A protection that had been so stable fell aside thrice, and the Netherlands made them pay every time.
Memphis Depay may as effectively have been on a runway for as clear a path because the USMNT gave him on the primary Dutch purpose, within the seventh minute of the sport. No one picked up on a streaking Daley Blind till the ball was within the web simply earlier than halftime.
And, most egregious of all, minutes after the USMNT had pulled a purpose again to make a sport of it once more, Denzel Dumfries discovered himself so open on the again put up he was truly calling for the ball for a number of seconds. When he obtained it, he unleashed a rocket that extinguished any final hope the People had.
“When it’s not that night time, it’s not that night time,” Weston McKennie mentioned after the 3-1 loss. “Everyone knows we did excellent defensively within the group stage. Clearly, the Netherlands has a variety of attacking threats and particular person high quality. They obtained two related targets. It’s what it’s.”
There isn’t a disgrace in dropping to a workforce just like the Dutch. This won’t be as formidable a squad because the one which performed for the World Cup title in 2010. Or the one which reached the semifinals 4 years later. It’s nonetheless a gifted and, extra importantly, skilled squad, nonetheless, one that’s unbeaten within the 18 video games since Louis van Gaal returned as coach in August 2021.
However the USMNT gamers had mentioned, and confirmed in opposition to England, that they believed they might play with anybody on the planet, and so they merely weren’t as much as the duty in opposition to the Netherlands.
The USMNT had succeeded within the group stage by closing down areas and attending to balls earlier than the opponent had time to let something construct. That wasn’t the case in opposition to the Netherlands. The People had been by no means fairly the place they wanted to be, a half-second too late or a step too gradual.
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“It’s simply moments {that a} participant’s off right here and there, and it finally ends up at the back of the web,” coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned. “If you play at this degree, play this top quality, that’s what occurs. Sadly it occurred in a knockout sport, however it did and we’ve obtained to study from it.”
The People received’t say it, however the group-stage video games – particularly the frenetic end in opposition to Iran once they needed to face up to a barrage for 10 minutes of stoppage time – appeared to take a toll. Tyler Adams, who put the Energizer Bunny to disgrace within the group stage, misplaced Depay after he’d sprayed the ball broad to Dumfries and Sergino Dest didn’t choose him up, permitting Depay to run unmarked to the field.
Whether or not it was bodily or psychological fatigue, or just displaying their age, the People weren’t as sharp as they’d been their first three video games. Weren’t as sharp as they wanted to be at this stage of a World Cup.
“We didn’t monitor runners effectively all night time,” goalkeeper Matt Turner mentioned. “It felt like each time they crossed the ball, they obtained a head on it, they obtained a bit on it. … I don’t assume it was something apart from the very fact they attacked us very effectively and so they have some nice gamers that had been in a position to end their probabilities.”
You possibly can play the woulda, coulda, shoulda sport, questioning how completely different the end result would have been had Christian Pulisic scored on a gimme within the third minute. However he didn’t. And when the Netherlands scored seven minutes later, the Dutch might afford to take a seat again and let the People chase the sport.
It’s a credit score to the USMNT that they didn’t hand over after Blind’s purpose simply earlier than halftime. They stored urgent and created a number of probabilities within the second half earlier than Pulisic’s cross hit Haji Wright’s leg and bounced into the web within the 76th.
“They’re actually powerful,” Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert mentioned. “They go like loopy, like hell. They’re working collectively, they don’t hand over.”
However the People melted down as soon as once more, giving up Dumfries’ purpose within the 81st.
“You have a look at, can we win in opposition to high groups? Can we carry out effectively sufficient in opposition to high groups, effectively sufficient to win?” Berhalter requested. “I feel this group is shut.”
Shut is not sufficient at this degree, nonetheless. Perhaps sometime the USMNT can play a flawed sport and win, however they are not there but.
And it confirmed in opposition to the Dutch.
Observe USA TODAY Sports activities columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.