Aargentinian tv is looking it La Copa de Batacazos: a World Cup of bumps, surprises and the unexpected. They’ve come thick and speedy in this tiny Gulf peninsula over the last two weeks, with a file seven groups ranked within the best 20 of Fifa’s international ratings, together with Germany, crashing out on the crew degree.
The United States entered Saturday evening’s knockout fit with the Netherlands assured they might ship the newest plot twist in a contest the place outsiders have constantly punched above their weight. Instead, their dream is over in disappointingly predictable model because of shortcomings that experience change into all too acquainted.
It used to be the similar previous tale for the Americans, who completed with extra pictures (17 to 11), extra pictures on course (8 to 6), extra passes (564 to 412) and a better percentage of ownership (58% to 42% ), however lacked the ruthlessness {and professional} fringe of the Dutch, who stepped forward to 19 fits unbeaten since Louis van Gaal took over after ultimate yr’s European Championship.
The Americans’ profligacy from promising attacking positions, their inaccuracy in construction probabilities from ownership and their constantly deficient set-pieces all got here beneath a harsh glare at the international degree after persisting via an often-rocky World Cup qualifying marketing campaign. For 3 fits in Qatar they have been ready to make up the variation with carefully knit crew play fueled through boundless power in midfield. But when the reserves ran dry on Saturday evening, their defects in spite of everything stuck up with them.
The managed and environment friendly presence of the Tyler Adams-Weston McKennie-Yunus Musah midfield that embodied the Americans’ largest power and supply of optimism towards the well-liked Dutch used to be badly misfiring. Any issues that they’d left all of it at the box all through the crowd degree have been showed within the first 15 minutes. Adams used to be nowhere close to Memphis Depay at the first objective, McKennie used to be changed earlier than the hour mark and Musah seemed spent from the phrase pass, making deficient giveaways that ended in plenty of Dutch probabilities. Physical and psychological fatigue have been operating hand in hand.
That troubling collaboration used to be in complete view early on, when the Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong dropped in between two centre-backs to gather the ball earlier than beginning a chain of 20 uninterrupted passes over 114 seconds, leaving the American press in ribbons earlier than Depay completed crisply from a Denzel Dumfries go to punctuate a pass-and-move masterclass.
Suddenly the one crew to not concede from open play within the crew degree used to be trailing for the primary time of their event. At occasions they seemed tactically beaten towards a Dutch facet urgent insanely prime, bold the Americans to lead them to pay.
“When you look at the difference between the two teams, to me, there was some offensive finishing quality that Holland had that we’re lacking a little bit,” Berhalter mentioned. “We have an excessively younger crew. We have gamers which might be starting their careers and they will catch as much as that. They’re going to get the similar factor.”
The Americans did well to get their feet under them. But when Daley Blind found acres of space at the post after eluding Sergiño Dest, the Ajax midfielder scored to effectively close the show against opponents who have wanted mightily for goals against world-class sides. The US didn’t make a whole lot of mistakes on Saturday. But when they did, the Netherlands punished them.
“The first half was a great indication of the game being about moments. We were on top for a lot of the first half and two moments come and all of a sudden we’re 2-0 down. The message was soccer can be cruel sometimes,” mentioned Berhalter. “It’s simply moments that the gamers have been [switched] off somewhat bit right here and there and it finally ends up behind the online. When you play at this stage, towards prime quality fighters, that is what occurs. It’s unlucky that it occurs within the knockout sport, nevertheless it did and we have now were given to be informed from it.”
Now for the good news. At a time when more young US players than ever before are spending their teenage years in Europe, more than half of Berhalter’s 26-man squad compete in the world’s top five leagues, including Pulisic (Chelsea), Dest (Milan), McKennie (Juventus ) and Adams (Leeds United), who departs as one of the revelations of the tournament. Nineteen of them made their World Cup debuts over the past fortnight – a record for a US team by some distance – and all of them got a taste of the knockout cauldron.
They started three of the youngest starting XIs in this tournament and four of the youngest five. Eight of Berhalter’s choices for the Netherlands match were 25 or younger.
For once the breathless chatter over an American golden generation doesn’t feel like promotional bluster. And the next time they play a World Cup match will be on home soil.
Even though Berhalter resisted the notion that his youth movement was designed at least in part with 2026 in mind, the fact remains that today’s core players will be in their presumptive primes when the US will be co-hosts.
“I feel this crew is nearer,” Berhalter said. “Can we win against top teams? Can we perform well against top teams well enough to win? Today is a strange type of outcome in a game like this when we perform really well, especially in the first half. But to be fielding the youngest lineups in the World Cup four times in a row and still be able to play the way we are, the American public should be optimistic.”