The U.S. men’s national team’s run at the World Cup came to a screeching halt, with the Netherlands dealing the Americans a humbling 3–1 defeat in Qatar in the round of 16.
Two first-half goals—including a dagger just before halftime by unlikely scorer Daley Blind—spelled doom for the U.S., whose attempt to come back came up short, and its time in Qatar comes to an end.
Memphis Depay opened the scoring in the 10th minute, and Blind scored in almost identical fashion, with Denzel Dumfries cutting a cross back to the center of the box, where the U.S. failed to track the runner and conceded a wide-open, first-time chance that beat Matt Turner to his right. Striker Haji Wright’s accidental first touch off a Christian Pulisic cross gave the U.S. a brief lifeline in the 76th minute, but Dumfries was left unmarked on a cross six minutes later and volleyed in the goal that ultimately put the match to bed. And therein was the difference: When presented with chances, the Dutch were ruthless, while the U.S. was a bit naive in losing track of the opponents in key spots and was unable to conjure proficiency in the final third.
The U.S.’s struggles against European competition at the World Cup continued with the result, now falling to 1-12-7 in such matches on this stage since returning to it in 1990. The Netherlands, ultimately, was a savvier team, showing a level of comfort in defending when the U.S. controlled possession and knowing precisely when—and where—to strike to seize control on the scoreboard. After a valiant and inspired run, the U.S.’s World Cup is over.
Here are three thoughts on the match:
Ricardo Mazalan/AP
The dream start was right there
As was the case in its previous three games, the U.S. didn’t show an indication of being spooked by the stage, no matter its age or level of World Cup experience. Up until Memphis’s goal, the U.S. was in full control—and it absolutely should have led. Pulisic spoke in the build-up to the match about hoping to make his goal vs. Iran a footnote on his World Cup, and the opportunity to do just that presented itself after two minutes.
Following an incomplete clearance from the Dutch box, Tyler Adams looped the ball back in for an unmarked Pulisic, who was kept onside by Blind. He wound up with a point-blank look, but Andries Noppert, the Netherlands’ inexperienced goalkeeper, made a massive save. If Pulisic is presented with that chance 10 times he might score nine of them. Perhaps he could have taken a touch to pull Noppert out of position instead of going first-time. It all happened so quickly. World Cup fates are often decided by fine margins and specific moments, and for the U.S., that was it. It also proved to be a harbinger of things to come. As Adams told Fox in his post-match comments, this was very much a match that came down to being prepared in key spots. There’s no room for error in the World Cup knockout stage, and the U.S. learned that the hard way.
The striker situation remains an issue
For the entirety of World Cup qualifying and then again in Qatar, questions persisted about the U.S.’s lack of a reliable forward. It hadn’t proven prohibitive in terms of advancing out of the group, but Josh Sargent’s ankle injury thinned out an already-thin area on the roster, and Gregg Berhalter opted to start Jesús Ferreira—who hadn’t played a competitive match since FC Dallas’s playoff match on Oct. 23—over Haji Wright, who had been ineffective in his two stints in the group stage.
Ferreira was no better, though, not offering the outlet, hold-up play or the runs required for the U.S. to operate at the highest level. Gio Reyna, at long last, was brought on at halftime, but all that did was give the U.S. an unnatural solution to the problem until Wright was brought on in the 65th minute. He may have scored the U.S.’s only goal—there is no way that touch was intentional—but he also fluffed a golden chance off a poor Memphis back-pass, an awful first touch making for a more difficult opportunity at a tight angle that was ultimately cleared off the line.
It’s easy to second-guess now, but with Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok watching at home, the U.S. could have had more robust options to call on. And if they’re not the answer over the next four years, then finding a reliable one or two has to become the priority ahead of 2026.
This run was a stellar building block
There’s little shame in exiting a World Cup in the knockout stage, especially with a team this young. This is effectively a youth squad with some overage exceptions, so to get out of the group that the U.S. was in—the most difficult in the field based on average FIFA ranking—and to play with as much control as it did was commendable. England manager Gareth Southgate, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz and Netherlands tactician Louis van Gaal all heaped praise on the U.S. for how it performed in Qatar, and it wasn’t just lip service. This team made a genuine impression.
National team growth isn’t always linear, but there's clearly something special about this U.S. group. Its core hasn’t hit its prime yet—who knows what can happen in three-and-a-half years, but that’ll be timed perfectly with the 2026 World Cup on North American soil—and it accrued invaluable experience in Qatar. The mission statement of this group has always been to “change the way the world views American soccer,” and the manner in which it played for long stretches at this World Cup should have achieved that to at least a small degree.
Expectations will now inevitably rise, all with a massive question hanging over the U.S.—that being the future of Berhalter, whose contract is up. Based on the body of work—multiple Concacaf trophies, World Cup qualification, getting out of a World Cup group, unifying and galvanizing the player pool—you’d expect there to be interest from U.S. Soccer in a renewal. Those conversations surely are to follow soon, and if Berhalter doesn’t return, there should be no shortage of suitors for the role given the young talent already in tow. But in the meantime, the U.S. had a World Cup experience that can serve as a genuine building block for a team that knows its best days are still to come.
