USMNT outclassed by Netherlands in 3-1 loss, ending run in World Cup

Dec. 4—What happens when a sports team meets expectations?

Philadelphians have plenty of experience with the pain of coming up short of those expectations. They've also felt the joy of exceeding them, especially this year with the Phillies and the Union.

But what happens when a team lands right on that point in between?

That is the fate of the U.S. men's soccer team, which lost to the Netherlands, 3-1, on Saturday in the World Cup's round of 16 in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

The Americans were beaten by a more talented team that played better. That has to be the starting premise, whether you're new to soccer and will now go back to ignoring it, or a devoted fan of the sport.

Sometimes you face a more talented team that doesn't play better. Sometimes you face a team that plays above its talent, which is why it was said here a few days ago that Senegal would have been a worse matchup for this U.S. squad.

And sometimes, you just get beaten.

Running out of gas

There are criticisms to level, for sure, starting with manager Gregg Berhalter's refusal to budge from the core tenets of a tactical setup inspired by old Dutch traditions. With top striker Josh Sargent out due to an ankle injury, Berhalter could have started Tim Weah in his place, and made room for the talent of Gio Reyna or Brenden Aaronson.

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Instead, Berhalter started Jesús Ferreira up top, and Ferreira touched the ball just 10 times in the first half-hour. That indicts the system more than the player.

Making matters worse, almost every U.S. player but Ferreira and Christian Pulisic looked fatigued. This was no surprise after the Americans' grueling group stage, but it sure didn't help.

All of that came home to roost on the Netherlands' opening goal, a magnificent attacking swoop finished by Memphis Depay. A 20-pass play started with Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert, went repeatedly through midfield quarterback Frenkie de Jong, and sprung to life when Cody Gakpo received the ball in an open pocket of space.

Gakpo turned, raced forward, and fed Denzel Dumfries on the right wing. Dumfries hit a swerving pass back as the U.S. defense marked players ahead of the ball. Depay made a perfect run behind the play, and hit a perfect shot past Matt Turner.,

The goal was made more frustrating by the 6-foot-8 Noppert's denial of a surprisingly wide open Pulisic in just the third minute. But the biggest frustration was still to come. The Netherlands yielded possession to the U.S., daring them to do something with it, and the Americans didn't produce another shot until Tim Weah's 43rd-minute rip at Noppert from 20 yards.

The rope-a-dope strategy worked to perfection. On the last play of the half, the Dutch had a throw-in deep in U.S. territory, passed the ball around in tight space, and got it to Dumfries for another inch-perfect setup pass to the middle. Daley Blind got on the receiving end this time, Sergiño Dest was caught chasing him, and Blind scored.

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Two and a half minutes after kickoff, the U.S. won a corner kick, and Tim Ream had a lunging chance cleared off the line. In the 52nd, Pulisic shot low at Noppert; in the 54th, Reyna teed up McKennie atop the box and he shot over the bar.

It was better, but not good enough. The gap on the scoreboard was too big, and so was the gap in street smarts.

The latter gap shrunk in the 67th minute when Berhalter sent in Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson for Weah and Weston McKennie, moving Reyna to the right flank and placing Aaronson in central midfield. But the scoreboard didn't budge until the 76th, when Pulisic and Haji Wright forced a fluky goal that cut the deficit in half.

That woke everyone up, from players to fans at what had been a subdued Khalifa International Stadium.,

But the hope of a miracle comeback did not last long. In the 81st, Blind caught a fatigued American defense with a chipped pass over the top of the line, and a wide-open Dumfries thumped the nail into the coffin from 6 yards.

"This is a difficult one to handle," Berhalter told Fox's TV broadcast after the game. "It's such a good group of guys, such a close group of guys, and we came up short today. But not for the lack of trying, not for the lack of effort — I think the guys poured everything they had into this game, and unfortunately, we lost it ... Really proud of this group, but bitterly disappointed in the result tonight.",

Much has changed in the eight years since the United States' last men's World Cup appearance, but one thing has not. A U.S. men's team has gone home amid questions of what could have been, if only for something here or there.

"We can show that we can hang with some of the best teams in the world, some of the best players in the world, and that's a lot of progress for U.S. soccer," said Tyler Adams, captain of the second-youngest team at this World Cup and one of the youngest in U.S. history. "We're moving in the right direction for sure, but we need to keep pushing. Because we're not there yet, but we're close."

As with so many of Adams' remarks in Qatar, these were inch-perfect.

"We still need to develop individually into more mature players for moments like this where we can come out on top," Adams said. "Today, you could see a little bit more experienced team got the better of us. Our youth, our potential that we have, we need to maximize that moving forward in the time we have between now and, obviously, 2026."

The what-ifs have come in all sizes, and they did in Qatar, too. This time, the list starts with a big one: What if Berhalter had freed himself of his conservative coaching instincts with more than 45 minutes to save his team's fate?

But the chorus of calls for a new manager shouldn't just aim at Berhalter. The man who hired him, U.S Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart, should face scrutiny, too. Will the chief architect of the program's rigid philosophy embrace a more flexible pragmatist to lead the U.S. men to the 2026 World Cup they will co-host?

The opportunity may come without needing the moment of carnal vengeance that some fans want in a formal firing. Berhalter's contract expires at the end of this year, and in his postgame news conference Saturday he alluded to something that's been rumored for a while: He might step down on his own.

"For the last month, month and a half, I've just been only focused on the World Cup — only focused on achieving things with this group," Berhalter said. "And in the next couple weeks, I'll clear my head, I'll sit down, and I'll think about what's next."

That becomes the second question on the table. The first is this: What happens when a team does exactly what was expected — nothing more, nothing less?

The answer will start to lay the path for the next four years.

DOHA, Qatar — Philadelphia is a city known for its sports. More notably — or sometimes notoriously — it's known for its sports fans. The boisterous crowds backing the Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, Phillies and most recently the Union have earned reputations ranging from passionate to boorish.

But what people may not realize, is how many of those fans are in love with the global game: o jogo bonito, calcio, fútbol, fußball, football, soccer.

As soccer continues its steady growth across the USA, Philadelphia has made a name as one of its main markets. Philadelphians have eyes on leagues all over. They rank high in TV viewership for the Premier League and well beyond it. Its hometown team, the Philadelphia Union, has found recent success in Major League Soccer. That has drawn attention to its manager from Oreland, Jim Curtin, as well as its highly touted development academy and a tenacious style of play which embodies the city's spirit.

Philadelphia is a soccer town. And that Philadelphia love has shown up in spades at the 2022 World Cup.

Medford's Brenden Aaronson happy to take on whatever role the USMNT needs at the World Cup "type":"interstitial_link

As the World Cup tournament moved to the knockout stages, I met with some Philly fans here in Doha.

Scott Rindos, from Delaware County, told me he sees similarities between World Cup fans and the fervent fan bases from Philadelphia: "Supporters of national teams and local sports teams both feel a sense of immense pride in that the team on the field represents their culture and who they are as a society. When they succeed it feels like the nation or the city succeeds."

And despite the rivalry many U.S. fans feel toward England — whom they drew 0-0 in the group — Scott told me that England's fans are the ones that remind him most of Philadelphia:

"They have high confidence in their team and are quite vocal about it, and they are not afraid to hold their team to account for poor results. They also have a swagger about them that can rub other supporters the wrong way."

Taifa Naeem is from North Philadelphia- near 29th and Jefferson, she says, to be specific- but she lives in Doha now. Naeem's favorite part of the World Cup experience has been, "Experiencing a sporting event on such an international level, that you don't know who you will be celebrating with at any given moment from any given country!"

Naeem said she had been impressed by the organization of the event, and how international a sport it truly is. There are fans from all over the world cheering for many different national teams. For example, you'll see Messi jerseys here on far more fans than just the attending Argentines.

Thinking about Philadelphia's host city status in 2026, Naeem hopes Philly will show its own international welcome: "It would be wonderful to see Philly include our local and international communities in the festivities to show how we can all be respectful and inclusive while enjoying an international sport."

Justin Beldyk has been to six matches so far, alongside his cousin Kyle Lawrence, also a Philly native. They've seen the USA, Wales, France, Australia, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Brazil, Serbia and England play. Their favorite part has also been interacting with fans all over the world. They've even joined in with their chants and celebrations.

Beldyk flew home last weekend, in time to make it to the Linc for the Eagles versus Packers game. He compared World Cup supporters to Eagles fans that travel to all the away games. In particular, he was reminded of the time the Eagles played in London: "At that time, it was the highest attendance of any London NFL game and the line to get a cheesesteak at Passyunk Ave in London was 4 hours. I was there for that game as well and the atmosphere at the Eagles bar in London, The Admiralty, was amazing."

Tab Ramos is thrilled to watch a new era of U.S. stars shine at the World Cup "type":"interstitial_link

Beldyk felt it's actually the Welsh, not the English, that remind him most of Philadelphia. (Wrexham FC owner Rob McElhenney will be thrilled to hear it!)

"Out of all the games we went to, the fans from Wales were the most like Philadelphia. They are blue collar, passion mixed with anger, hate when the other team gets injured, and have a way with words for fans of the other team."

Eric Penney also compared his love of the World Cup to the passion of Eagles fans, saying come 2026, he can't wait to hear the friendly competition between world football chants and renditions of "Fly Eagles Fly!". He's been overwhelmed by how welcoming the hosts have been here, as well as the various fanbases he's met. That something he's said will impact how he welcomes the world when they arrive for the next event: "My biases and misconceptions have been mostly nullified. I fee like my experience here will help me be a better host in four years when they come to our home."

The FIFA World Cup has welcomed Philadelphians whose soccer fandom runs deep, as well as those that are new to the game.

David Moen is a Philadelphia Union season ticket holder, tracing his Union roots all the way back to the start in 2010. Jonathan Magill — originally from Fox Chase — on the other hand, volunteered to come here as a military deployment, supporting Qataris during the preparation and execution of World Cup Operations in their new Air Operations Center.

Moen and Magill are here for different reasons, but each has enjoyed their different encounters with the world famous event.

Magill: "I have never been a soccer fan, but got caught up in the energy and excitement of the World Cup in Qatar. When I volunteered to come out here, I knew the WC was taking place and figured it would be cool to see a game—but certainly didn't expect to see 3 so far. As a sports fan, excitement is contagious—and the more I started running into fans from all over the world, the more I wanted to be part of that excitement."

Moen explains he's enjoyed meetings fans from all over, whether catching games at the Fan Fest, or watching a tense England v USA match alongside Englishmen at his military base.

As a big Philly sports guy, Moen even caught a Phillies World Series game earlier this fall. He sees similarities between sports fans from Philadelphia and World Cup supporters: "Philly sports fans can sometimes get a bad rap...but we are just passionate about our teams and want to see them succeed against all odds. The World Cup is the same way. I saw a group of Saudis celebrating after their win against Argentina. They were the extreme underdogs but pulled it off with an amazing win—reminded me of some of the best moments in Philly sports history. We thrive as underdogs, and there has certainly been plenty of upsets and unexpected wins/draws during this World Cup."

Now caught up in World Cup fever, Magill is excited for Philadelphia to host: "Philadelphia is 100% the best sports city in the US. We have the most passionate fans, and they will embrace the energy of the World Cup and make it their own."

David Moen on the other hand, grew up playing soccer. His love of Philadelphia Union feeds off his love of the national team, and vice versa. Having watched Brenden Aaronson rise through the ranks in Philly before departing for Europe, it's exciting for Moen to watch him make his World Cup debut with Team USA. A highlight for him was watching the United States defeat Iran in a nail-biting, must-win victory that sealed their spot in the Round of 16. Brenden Aaronson played the entire second half of that game, replacing an injured Christian Pulisic.

Moen can't wait to watch the World Cup in his backyard. "I'm most excited to experience that first World Cup game at the Linc but if all the stars align, maybe even a USA game at the Linc near or on the 4th of July! Nothing could top that!" "type":"text

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