August 10 – On the eve of Oranje’s quarter-final with Spain, Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn criticised outgoing world champions the United States, arguing that they should have done their talking on the pitch.
In one of the standout matches of the group stages, the Dutch held the Americans 1-1 to top Group E. The US never ignited at these finals, and, despite a star-studded squad, including veterans Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe as well as Rose Lavelle and Sophia Smith, they crashed out in the second round, their worst result ever in Women’s World Cup history.
“The first moment when I heard that they were out, I was just thinking yes, because from the start of this tournament they have already a really big mouth, they were talking already about the final and stuff,” said Beerensteyn.
“I was just thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you’re talking. And I’m not being rude in that way. I have still a lot of respect for them. But now they are out of the tournament.”
“For me, yeah, it’s a relief and for them, it’s a thing that they have to take with them in the future,” the Juventus striker said. “Don’t start to talk about something that’s far away and I hope that they will learn from that.”
The American team had been labelled as arrogant following their early exit, both at home and abroad, and it is expected that manager Vlatko Andonovski, who did not manage to get his team to gel, will depart the setup. Questions have also risen about creating proper pathways for young women’s players in the country. Recently appointed sporting director Matt Crocker has his work cut out.
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