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Newly minted U.S. men’s national team superfan Charles Barkley made waves this week when he boisterously voiced his support for the Americans in the knockout round of the World Cup.
“We going [to beat] the Netherlands. We’re gonna open up a can of whoop ass!” Barkley exclaimed earlier this week on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “I guarantee the Netherlands are in trouble. ....I want Spain. I want Brazil. I want Germany. I want Fra…oh they got that boy Mbappé over there with France he ain’t no joke. But we’re gonna beat the Netherlands.”
Barkley’s clip, as they tend to do, went viral, and on Saturday afternoon following Netherlands’ 3–1 victory over the United States to advance to the World Cup Quarterfinals, Dutch forward Memphis Depay wouldn’t let the NBA Hall of Famer forget it.
“Lotta bark, no bite,” Depay tweeted.
The United States will now turn to 2026 as the host nation to make a splash and make it deeper into the tournament. For now though, the Netherlands got the last laugh.
