In a way, this was a victory for the man but not the idea. This was not your typical Louis van Gaal performance. For the first time at this World Cup and for only the second since Van Gaal accepted a third stint in charge, the Netherlands ended a game without dominating the ball. Even when they had a lead to protect against a competitive and combative United States in the first last-16 tie of this World Cup they struggled to hold onto what they had and safely see the game out in the manner Van Gaal watchers have become accustomed to.
And yet in another way, it was the idea that got the man into that position. And once he had got there, he seemed pretty comfortable with it. The Netherlands took a lead that they never relinquished through the best team goal this tournament has seen to date - the goal that, you might say, the 36 year-long coaching career of Aloysius Paulus Maria van Gaal has always been threatening. Then, they always stayed one step ahead of Gregg Berhalter’s side with a game plan that could hardly have been more different.
