The U.S. men’s national team played its biggest match in more than eight years—but there won’t be another one in Qatar next week.
The Netherlands eliminated the U.S. from the World Cup with a 3–1 triumph in the round of 16, ending the Americans’ run and setting up a quarterfinal matchup against either Argentina or Australia.
Memphis Depay’s 10th-minute goal and Daley Blind’s strike just before halftime staked the Dutch out to a 2–0 lead over the U.S., which missed a golden opportunity just a couple of minutes in when Christian Pulisic had a point-blank chance saved. Haji Wright’s 76th-minute goal temporarily brought the U.S. a lifeline, setting up a furious finish, but the Dutch’s two-goal lead was restored in the 81st minute by Denzel Dumfries to account for the final margin.
The U.S. still has just one World Cup knockout win in its history, and that came in 2002 against familiar rival Mexico. There was uncharted territory to hit against European competition if the U.S. could keep up its impressive run. The last time the U.S. was in this position came at Brazil 2014, when it lost to Belgium in extra time. The next chance for the U.S. to potentially be in this position will be on home soil in 2026, when it co-hosts the World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
Pulisic, after being forced out of the U.S.’s group win over Iran with a pelvic contusion, returned to the starting lineup for the U.S. The Americans’ other injured attacking player, Josh Sargent (out and unavailable for the match), was replaced in the XI by Jesús Ferreira while Walker Zimmerman returned at center back after being passed over for Cameron Carter-Vickers vs. Iran. For Ferreira, it marked his first action of the tournament entirely after he was a spectator for the group stage. His last competitive match anywhere came Oct. 23 in the MLS playoffs. U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter was once in those shoes—in 2002, he didn’t play in the group stage and then got the start in the last-16 win over Mexico.
The U.S.’s high press forced an early turnover and allowed the Americans to establish some rhythm and possession in the first couple of minutes. Like they did in all three group games, they showed no signs of nerves or uneasiness that one might expect from a team that’s as young and inexperienced as this one.
The U.S. nearly had a dream start in the third minute. After a failed Netherlands clearance, Tyler Adams looped the ball back into the box, where Pulisic was unmarked and kept onside. His close-range shot was saved by goalkeeper Andries Noppert, keeping the U.S. off the board.
The U.S. had the far better of the opening nine minutes, with the Netherlands’ only true moment of danger coming in transition, when Memphis got free down the left-hand side. He scuffed his attempt to either cross or shoot and the U.S. broke the other way.
He didn’t miss his second chance, though. Memphis scored the opening goal at the 10-minute mark, the recipient of a cutback cross from Dumfries at the center of the box. He fired in with a first-time finish for the first goal in open play that the U.S. conceded at this tournament. It also marked the first deficit for the U.S. at the World Cup.
Ten minutes later, Memphis went for a second from a significantly more difficult position. He got in behind Tim Ream after a Dutch ball over the top, but instead of seeking out a streaking teammate or holding up possession, he opted to turn and hit a first-time chance across his body, and he pushed it well by Matt Turner’s far post.
Memphis was the danger man again in the 28th, getting free down the left until Zimmerman shut him down and forced a corner instead of allowing him the space to find a runner through the area.
The U.S.’s most promising piece of possession came in the 42nd minute, when Tim Weah bombed down the right-hand side and crossed for Ferreira. The FC Dallas striker couldn’t fully settle, but the ball fell to Pulisic to his left. He didn’t have much of a shooting lane, though, and passed wide for Antonee Robinson, whose cross ultimately was blocked and landed harmlessly for Noppert.
The goalkeeper was called into a more difficult play a minute later, when Weah fired away from long range, only to have Noppert read it the whole way and parry it to safety.
Moments later, it was Sergiño Dest, a Dutch native, creating the danger as he split through the Netherlands defense on a purposeful dribble and working his way into the box, only to mishit his chance and have it blocked by Virgil van Dijk.
All that positive momentum went out the door just before halftime. Off a throw-in in stoppage time, the Dutch scored again. It was Blind, streaking into that spot in the center of the U.S. box just like Memphis had earlier, running onto another cut-back cross from Dumfries and finishing to make it 2-0.
The U.S. made a significant move for the second half, bringing Gio Reyna on for Ferreira, who was ineffective in his stint.
A golden chance to halve the deficit presented itself four minutes into the half. Off a corner kick, an area where the U.S. has struggled in this competition, the ball poked free for Ream at the goal mouth, but all he could do was barely get a foot to it, and Cody Gakpo made the goal-line clearance to keep the U.S. off the board.
After Turner made a point-blank save on what would’ve ultimately been a Zimmerman own goal, the U.S. kept carving out chances. Pulisic had a long-range attempt saved by Noppert before, in the 53rd minute, Reyna got free down the left and cut a cross back for Weston McKennie. He wasn’t able to direct his left-footed chance from the top of the box on frame, though, firing just over the bar.
It was Turner who was called into action in the 60th minute, with the Netherlands again picking its spot to attack wisely and having Memphis uncork a shot from the top of the box that the U.S. keeper tipped over the bar.
The U.S. went back to the bench in the 67th minute, with Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson coming on for Weah and McKennie, allowing Reyna to shift back out wide instead of being an unnatural solution at striker and putting Aaronson into an attacking midfield role.
Turner, at the very least, did what he could to keep the deficit at two, making a spectacular double save in the 71st minute, ultimately robbing Memphis of his second goal on a point-blank header off the rebound of the initial shot.
Wright wound up bundling a golden opportunity in the 75th minute. Memphis played a poor pass back toward his own goal, allowing the U.S. forward to pounce and round the goalkeeper, but his first touch was awful, making for a tighter angle, and his chance was eventually and rather easily cleared off the line.
Wright made up for it moments later, although it’s unclear how much he knew about it. After the U.S. recycled the attack following a cleared corner kick, Pulisic sent a cross into the Netherlands box that clipped off Wright’s heel and looped into the goal to make it 2–1.
The U.S. looked up for the task of pulling even, but the two-goal lead wound up being restored instead. Dumfries was left completely unmarked for a cross from the left, and he easily volleyed in to beat Turner and make it 3–1.
That effectively brought an end to the U.S.’s tournament, which was confirmed by the final whistle. Brighter days are likely to be ahead for a team as young as the U.S., but the end to a World Cup is never easy, evidenced by the tears shed on the sideline and on the field after the team’s fate in Qatar was sealed.
