Rematch of ’19 final next for US
Last December, the Netherlands gave the United States a soccer lesson in the second round of the men’s World Cup in Doha. Roles will be somewhat reversed Wednesday when the Dutch and American teams meet in the Women’s World Cup in Wellington, New Zealand.
The United States will be a strong favorite in a rematch of the 2019 WWC final, though the rosters of both teams have changed significantly. In the women’s game, the the Americans set standards, partly through force of numbers. With so many players involved, the competitive level is constantly raised, and it is reflected in the US team. And it is not just athleticism and technical skills being honed in US women’s soccer; tactical understanding is improving.
On the men’s side, the Dutch easily outmaneuvered the United States, thanks partly to Louis Van Gaal, a ridiculously experienced coach who presented a textbook game plan: draw the opposition into the trap of chasing the ball, play to the wings and get them spread out, then attack. The Americans fell into it and couldn’t figure out how to escape, trying to kick up the tempo even higher and running out of gas as well as ideas.
In the WWC match, the United States might expect similar strategic challenges, since Dutch coach Andries Jonker is a Van Gaal disciple, acting as his assistant at FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The Netherlands women, though, probably do not have the ability to pull off such tactics. Nor can they expect to dominate on the wings against US outside backs Crystal Dunn and Emily Fox, especially if Lineth
Beerensteyn does not recover from injury. Without Vivianne Miedema (anterior cruciate ligament), who scored twice in a 2-2 tie with the United States in the Tokyo Olympics, the Dutch are limited offensively.
Also, Van Gaal’s team played with confidence against the Americans, knowing it was the team with a successful past, one that determines standards in soccer and has a history of intimidating foes through sheer tactical and technical ability. Jonker’s team does not have the same credentials, but it might have a similar mental approach.
“We are not afraid of the USA,” Jonker said after a 1-0 victory over Portugal. “But this was the most important game, and Portugal proved they were a difficult opponent.”
As part of the role reversal, the United States will be in the position of intimidators against the Dutch. In the women’s game, the Americans have a few decades of history on its side; they are the ones establishing the pace of the game, the ones everyone is usually chasing.
The Netherlands does not appear able to match the United States physically, in terms of strength or speed, nor is it any more skillful. Also, the Americans get an extra day of rest and preparation — not that they should need it after a 3-0 rout of Vietnam.
If the United States expects to win the tournament for a third successive time, the first round should be about avoiding injuries and suspensions, and conserving energy. Also, the team needs to get in synch offensively, as coach Vlatko Andonovski is apparently tweaking lineups.
Sure, the Americans outshot Vietnam, 28-0, but that was more because the team simply overpowered its foe, and that compensated for often not being on the same page. The US defense literally was not challenged, but it has shown it can match European foes. The US midfield and back line should have little problem with the Dutch, though midfielder Jill Roord and 19-year-old winger Esmee Brugts could threaten.
Winning Group E might not be crucial for the United States, as none of the probable next-round opponents have impressed. But first place would put the Americans in position for favorable television game times.
The World Cup games so far have provided drama, as well as surprising results such as the France-Jamaica 0-0 tie and England’s 1-0 win over Haiti. But there have been mismatches, raising questions about the wisdom of expanding the field to 32. There have not been many outrageous score lines, but statistics indicate countries are out of their depth: Spain outshot Costa Rica, 46-1; Brazil outshot Panama, 32-6; Japan outshot Zambia, 25-0.
As for FIFA’s attempts to limit stoppage time, the United States-Vietnam match was extended by 21 minutes. It took more than four minutes of VAR examination before Alex Morgan attempted a first-half penalty kick. During stoppage time, more was added for a review of Sophia Smith’s second goal, and even then the validation remained questionable.
It was hoped that organizers would learn from the mistakes of the men’s World Cup. But so far, delays have not been avoided. And these holdups are in the opening round, before decisions are at the even finer-line stage of elimination play.
Probably the most controversial refereeing decision was the ejection of Jamaica forward Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who was issued two cautions in the France game by Chilean referee Maria Carvajal.
On the first caution, Shaw came in late, the call difficult to dispute. But the Jamaicans rightly protested that seconds before the contact, a studs-up challenge took their player down — normally also a basic call.
In earning the second yellow card, Shaw placed herself in a vulnerable position, making a long run and attempting a slide tackle on France’s Wendie Renard in the second minute of added time. There was little to be gained for Shaw, since Renard was simply launching a long clearance and was a couple steps ahead anyway.
By that time, Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson had pulled a forward, attempting to consolidate the result. Shaw, as a single striker, needed to stay under control, ensuring she would be available against Panama and Brazil.
The Reggae Girlz have an outside chance to advance, with Hartford sisters Allyson (ex-Boston College) and Chantelle Swaby playing key defensive roles, but will need to generate offense in the next two matches.