The dream is over. At least for now, the “it’s called soccer” rallying cry has been put to bed. It was always going to be far-fetched, of course, but our beloved United States team is officially out of the 2022 World Cup after a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Netherlands. There’s still so much to be proud of, and even more to be excited about in the future, but man, does this loss sting. No, not because of the scoreline-- but because we actually played well!
It’s one of the most frustrating things as a soccer fan to watch your team play good ball -- as the United States did in much of this game with an energetic press, quality movement, and multiple dangerous chances created -- but for the scoreline to reflect quite the opposite. At the end of the day, though the Dutch by all intents and purposes did not dominate the match, with less possession, shots on target, and pass accuracy than the Americans, they were lethal in front of the net and walked away with a convincing victory. One can take little solace in the fact that, according to expected goals (xG), the USMNT came out ahead of the Oranje when, in reality, they placed the soccer ball in the back of the net two more times than we did.
To his credit, head coach Gregg Berhalter pushed a lot of the right buttons in this tournament, and guided his team through a tricky group including a plucky 0-0 effort against England. But there are reasons why his quality as a manager at this level has been heavily scrutinized before the tournament, and with our display on Saturday I believe his position should be questioned once again. He seems to be a great motivator; the players seem to love playing for him, and he’s an infectious, positive presence in the locker room. And while that is not an insignificant thing, I just feel that, again, Berhalter is tactically outmatched on the world stage, and that if we truly want this team to ascend to new heights, we may very well need to find a new manager.
Gregg Berhalter’s tactics came up short against the Netherlands. Image from: Nick Wass/AP.
Maybe that’s just my knee-jerk reaction talking. It is easy for emotions to bubble over when a game means so much, after all. With that being said, let’s go through where exactly this team fell short, piece by piece, and discuss where this team goes from here.
Botched the Starting Lineup
There’s no two ways about it, Jesús Ferreira should not have started the game at striker. I talked about this at length in my pre-World-Cup article on the USMNT, but his inclusion on the roster initially was questionable at best, especially when considering we left talent like Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok off the plane to Qatar. Starting Ferreira is even more curious than bringing him, even with Sargent out due to an injury, from pretty much every way you look at it.
Ferreira hadn’t gotten a single minute in all tournament, so he can’t have been match-sharp heading into such a pivotal game. Further, there is no aspect of his game that provides more value on the field than Haji Wright, the other target-man #9 option that Berhalter was deciding between. It’ll sound harsh, but Ferreira was a complete disaster on the pitch for 45 minutes until his substitution at halftime; every one of his first touches went wayward and either led to loss of possession entirely or slowed down the play (a key point given how this team thrives on quick passing and sharp movement up top), and all of his passes were slow and/or off-target. He even had a costly giveaway around midfield that very nearly gave the opposition another goal.
The other starting lineup choice that ended up being a mistake was Berhalter’s decision to start Walker Zimmermann alongside Tim Ream at center back. I discussed briefly before the match that it would be difficult to decide between Zimmermann and Cameron Carter-Vickers, who was confident on the ball in his start against Iran, but it was clear after the game that Carter-Vickers would have been the more apt choice.
Center-back Walker Zimmermann capped off a lackluster tournament with a subpar effort against the Netherlands. Image from: Getty Images.
Dutch manager Louis van Gaal clearly did his homework on the Yanks before the game. The Oranje largely were patient in defense, and forced the Americans to have to play out of the back to start key attacks-- a clear weak point in Zimmermann’s game. Berhalter was unable to adjust and thus the build-up was less fluid than in prior games, playing right into van Gaal’s hands. The USMNT also suffered key defensive breakdowns in all of the Dutch’s three goals, the responsibility for which doesn’t fall on Zimmermann alone, of course, but speaks to a little bit of incoherence in the back line in general. Given that positioning, structure, and defensive instincts are the main reasons that would make Zimmermann a viable starter in the first place, the performance of the defense was rather disappointing, and falls on Berhalter’s team selection.
Poor Defensive Strategy and Execution
Even someone who’s never watched soccer before could quite clearly see why the US conceded all three of their sloppy goals. On each cross the Dutch put in, there was an open man left unmarked who was able to meet the pass and confidently slot the ball past an unlucky Matt Turner for a goal. Man-marking is not rocket science; it’s a fundamental part of playing defense at a high level, and each goal was more sickening than the last. The first was a shock concession against the run of play, and could have been forgivable had it been the only such breakdown. The second goal, with the defense going completely asleep just on the stroke of halftime and allowing 32-year-old defender Daley Blind acres of space for a shot, was maddening. The final goal was inexcusable, as Denzel Dumfries was open on the edge of the box, completely unmarked and unseen, for what seemed like a solid thirty seconds before the ball found his feet and he coolly converted his shot into the net.
Wing-back Denzel Dumfries earned man of the match for the Netherlands. Image from: Getty Images.
The Netherlands, counterintuitively as it may seem, didn’t actually break down the defense with solid build-up play many times in the match. They essentially beat us on three moments of absolute madness in the defensive third. That level of miscommunication and failure to mark men in the box simply cannot happen at this level of international play, and it speaks to a lack of preparedness or chemistry at the back, both of which should fall on Berhalter’s shoulders.
The worst part of it all, however, was the team’s defensive strategy going into the game. It’s no secret that the two Dutch wing-backs, as part of their three-in-the-back formation, love to have the flexibility to go forward and join the attack. That piece of information, however, seemed to elude Gregg Berhalter as Blind and Dumfries were afforded an endless number of chances to get forward in space and ping low crosses into the box. In the end, Dumfries finished the game as man of the match with two assists and a goal, and Blind recorded a goal and assist on his own (the two even assisted each other for their goals). Berhalter got outcoached, plain and simple, by the wily 71-year-old van Gaal, who himself even noted after the game that, “Team USA didn't adjust, they didn't adapt… we based a tactical plan on that, that probably allowed us to win.”
Yikes.
Roster Selection and Lack of Depth Hurt
Going into this game, we knew that we needed to win the midfield battle against Frenkie de Jong and company to have the best chance at winning. For the first time all tournament, this didn’t happen; van Gaal’s side had a great game plan for flustering and slowing down the “MMA” midfield of Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams, and in general the three players looked less sharp and more tired than they had all tournament.
Perhaps it’s because they’ve had to see so much action throughout the campaign at Qatar; Adams had played every minute possible for the USMNT, and Musah and McKennie had started every game and got an extended run in each one. They might have just been tired, simply put, and this shows our overreliance on them in general. The World Cup roster was very obviously thin in the midfield, and this came back to bite us in this game. We didn’t have options to spell our starters and keep them fresh for this crucial match, nor did we have dynamic options we could bring on in case any of the trio had an uncharacteristically poor game, like McKennie did on Saturday.
Weston McKennie and the American midfield couldn’t make a big impact versus the Netherlands. Image from: Markus Gilliar/Getty Images.
The other squad selection snafu that ended up hurting the team was the lack of options at striker. Sargent’s injury hurt, sure, but there could have just been more options available if Berhalter had omitted some of the more superfluous members of the squad, such as Shaq Moore, for another striker like Pepi or Pefok. This just can’t be how our roster is constructed going forward -- relying on controlling the game and keeping every game close is a fool’s errand, as you’ll always find yourself in a scenario where you are chasing a game. This roster just didn’t have the firepower to propel a two-goal comeback.
Substitution Problems, Again
I hate to keep harping on this point, but Berhalter is not a good in-game manager. Subbing off a struggling Ferreira for Gio Reyna at halftime was a good move, but his usage was a little odd. At times we saw him up top playing like a target-man 9 himself, with his back to goal. That’s a completely bizarre way to use such a talented player, and I sadly never got my wish of seeing Pulisic and Reyna on the wings with Timothy Weah’s speed up front when chasing the game. Bringing Haji Wright on in place of Weah was also curious given his slower style of hold-up play, though he did provide a (maybe a little lucky) goal to get the team back in the game.
Bringing on DeAndre Yedlin for a tired Sergiño Dest ended up paying dividends, and entering Brenden Aaronson into the game is always a fun idea, but ultimately Berhalter was unable to pull the right levers in order to get his team back in the match. We found a way back with a single goal, but in general our strategy didn’t seem to really change, and there was a real lack of urgency until the final few minutes when the game was essentially over.
So what does this tournament disappointment mean for the team’s future? Well, honestly, there’s a ton to look forward to-- but only if we make the right adjustments as an organization. We need to end our odd agenda of pigeonholing MLS players into the national team roster, like the largely ineffective or unused Ferreira, Moore, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Kellyn Acosta, and Aaron Long. We simply need to select the best men for the job, in both the squad of players and in our coaching, rather than make decisions by agenda, favoritism, or nepotism.
Next, we need to start setting our sights higher. This isn’t the same USMNT as in the past-- we have a real talented core of players that the world’s best sides, on both the club and international stage, are starting to take notice of. We must start scheduling tournaments and friendlies against elite teams to challenge ourselves; finding a way into the next Copa América would be a great start. Simply playing in the Gold Cup, the Nations League, and in lower-stakes friendlies isn’t going to give our players enough of a test against elite competition as they need.
I mean it when I say America will have a great chance to make a deep run -- for the first time since 1930 -- at the next World Cup. With the United States hosting the 2026 edition of the storied event (alongside Mexico and Canada, though the USA will get the lion’s share of matches), and with our most important players all hitting their prime ages that year, with consistent improvement over the next four years this team could seriously be a force to contend with. We just need to aim higher, and put ourselves in the best position to succeed.
This is no longer a team that’s happy to be at the World Cup. This is a team that wants to win it. And we need to start acting like it, or we’re going to end up squandering the best generation of men’s soccer players our country has ever seen, as well as the best chance for the sport to reach new heights of popularity in the United States. And maybe, the first step to ascend to those heights is to find a new head coach. ■
It’s one of the most frustrating things as a soccer fan to watch your team play good ball -- as the United States did in much of this game with an energetic press, quality movement, and multiple dangerous chances created -- but for the scoreline to reflect quite the opposite. At the end of the day, though the Dutch by all intents and purposes did not dominate the match, with less possession, shots on target, and pass accuracy than the Americans, they were lethal in front of the net and walked away with a convincing victory. One can take little solace in the fact that, according to expected goals (xG), the USMNT came out ahead of the Oranje when, in reality, they placed the soccer ball in the back of the net two more times than we did.
To his credit, head coach Gregg Berhalter pushed a lot of the right buttons in this tournament, and guided his team through a tricky group including a plucky 0-0 effort against England. But there are reasons why his quality as a manager at this level has been heavily scrutinized before the tournament, and with our display on Saturday I believe his position should be questioned once again. He seems to be a great motivator; the players seem to love playing for him, and he’s an infectious, positive presence in the locker room. And while that is not an insignificant thing, I just feel that, again, Berhalter is tactically outmatched on the world stage, and that if we truly want this team to ascend to new heights, we may very well need to find a new manager.
Gregg Berhalter’s tactics came up short against the Netherlands. Image from: Nick Wass/AP.
Maybe that’s just my knee-jerk reaction talking. It is easy for emotions to bubble over when a game means so much, after all. With that being said, let’s go through where exactly this team fell short, piece by piece, and discuss where this team goes from here.
Botched the Starting Lineup
There’s no two ways about it, Jesús Ferreira should not have started the game at striker. I talked about this at length in my pre-World-Cup article on the USMNT, but his inclusion on the roster initially was questionable at best, especially when considering we left talent like Ricardo Pepi and Jordan Pefok off the plane to Qatar. Starting Ferreira is even more curious than bringing him, even with Sargent out due to an injury, from pretty much every way you look at it.
Ferreira hadn’t gotten a single minute in all tournament, so he can’t have been match-sharp heading into such a pivotal game. Further, there is no aspect of his game that provides more value on the field than Haji Wright, the other target-man #9 option that Berhalter was deciding between. It’ll sound harsh, but Ferreira was a complete disaster on the pitch for 45 minutes until his substitution at halftime; every one of his first touches went wayward and either led to loss of possession entirely or slowed down the play (a key point given how this team thrives on quick passing and sharp movement up top), and all of his passes were slow and/or off-target. He even had a costly giveaway around midfield that very nearly gave the opposition another goal.
The other starting lineup choice that ended up being a mistake was Berhalter’s decision to start Walker Zimmermann alongside Tim Ream at center back. I discussed briefly before the match that it would be difficult to decide between Zimmermann and Cameron Carter-Vickers, who was confident on the ball in his start against Iran, but it was clear after the game that Carter-Vickers would have been the more apt choice.
Center-back Walker Zimmermann capped off a lackluster tournament with a subpar effort against the Netherlands. Image from: Getty Images.
Dutch manager Louis van Gaal clearly did his homework on the Yanks before the game. The Oranje largely were patient in defense, and forced the Americans to have to play out of the back to start key attacks-- a clear weak point in Zimmermann’s game. Berhalter was unable to adjust and thus the build-up was less fluid than in prior games, playing right into van Gaal’s hands. The USMNT also suffered key defensive breakdowns in all of the Dutch’s three goals, the responsibility for which doesn’t fall on Zimmermann alone, of course, but speaks to a little bit of incoherence in the back line in general. Given that positioning, structure, and defensive instincts are the main reasons that would make Zimmermann a viable starter in the first place, the performance of the defense was rather disappointing, and falls on Berhalter’s team selection.
Poor Defensive Strategy and Execution
Even someone who’s never watched soccer before could quite clearly see why the US conceded all three of their sloppy goals. On each cross the Dutch put in, there was an open man left unmarked who was able to meet the pass and confidently slot the ball past an unlucky Matt Turner for a goal. Man-marking is not rocket science; it’s a fundamental part of playing defense at a high level, and each goal was more sickening than the last. The first was a shock concession against the run of play, and could have been forgivable had it been the only such breakdown. The second goal, with the defense going completely asleep just on the stroke of halftime and allowing 32-year-old defender Daley Blind acres of space for a shot, was maddening. The final goal was inexcusable, as Denzel Dumfries was open on the edge of the box, completely unmarked and unseen, for what seemed like a solid thirty seconds before the ball found his feet and he coolly converted his shot into the net.
Wing-back Denzel Dumfries earned man of the match for the Netherlands. Image from: Getty Images.
The Netherlands, counterintuitively as it may seem, didn’t actually break down the defense with solid build-up play many times in the match. They essentially beat us on three moments of absolute madness in the defensive third. That level of miscommunication and failure to mark men in the box simply cannot happen at this level of international play, and it speaks to a lack of preparedness or chemistry at the back, both of which should fall on Berhalter’s shoulders.
The worst part of it all, however, was the team’s defensive strategy going into the game. It’s no secret that the two Dutch wing-backs, as part of their three-in-the-back formation, love to have the flexibility to go forward and join the attack. That piece of information, however, seemed to elude Gregg Berhalter as Blind and Dumfries were afforded an endless number of chances to get forward in space and ping low crosses into the box. In the end, Dumfries finished the game as man of the match with two assists and a goal, and Blind recorded a goal and assist on his own (the two even assisted each other for their goals). Berhalter got outcoached, plain and simple, by the wily 71-year-old van Gaal, who himself even noted after the game that, “Team USA didn't adjust, they didn't adapt… we based a tactical plan on that, that probably allowed us to win.”
Yikes.
Roster Selection and Lack of Depth Hurt
Going into this game, we knew that we needed to win the midfield battle against Frenkie de Jong and company to have the best chance at winning. For the first time all tournament, this didn’t happen; van Gaal’s side had a great game plan for flustering and slowing down the “MMA” midfield of Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and Tyler Adams, and in general the three players looked less sharp and more tired than they had all tournament.
Perhaps it’s because they’ve had to see so much action throughout the campaign at Qatar; Adams had played every minute possible for the USMNT, and Musah and McKennie had started every game and got an extended run in each one. They might have just been tired, simply put, and this shows our overreliance on them in general. The World Cup roster was very obviously thin in the midfield, and this came back to bite us in this game. We didn’t have options to spell our starters and keep them fresh for this crucial match, nor did we have dynamic options we could bring on in case any of the trio had an uncharacteristically poor game, like McKennie did on Saturday.
Weston McKennie and the American midfield couldn’t make a big impact versus the Netherlands. Image from: Markus Gilliar/Getty Images.
The other squad selection snafu that ended up hurting the team was the lack of options at striker. Sargent’s injury hurt, sure, but there could have just been more options available if Berhalter had omitted some of the more superfluous members of the squad, such as Shaq Moore, for another striker like Pepi or Pefok. This just can’t be how our roster is constructed going forward -- relying on controlling the game and keeping every game close is a fool’s errand, as you’ll always find yourself in a scenario where you are chasing a game. This roster just didn’t have the firepower to propel a two-goal comeback.
Substitution Problems, Again
I hate to keep harping on this point, but Berhalter is not a good in-game manager. Subbing off a struggling Ferreira for Gio Reyna at halftime was a good move, but his usage was a little odd. At times we saw him up top playing like a target-man 9 himself, with his back to goal. That’s a completely bizarre way to use such a talented player, and I sadly never got my wish of seeing Pulisic and Reyna on the wings with Timothy Weah’s speed up front when chasing the game. Bringing Haji Wright on in place of Weah was also curious given his slower style of hold-up play, though he did provide a (maybe a little lucky) goal to get the team back in the game.
Bringing on DeAndre Yedlin for a tired Sergiño Dest ended up paying dividends, and entering Brenden Aaronson into the game is always a fun idea, but ultimately Berhalter was unable to pull the right levers in order to get his team back in the match. We found a way back with a single goal, but in general our strategy didn’t seem to really change, and there was a real lack of urgency until the final few minutes when the game was essentially over.
So what does this tournament disappointment mean for the team’s future? Well, honestly, there’s a ton to look forward to-- but only if we make the right adjustments as an organization. We need to end our odd agenda of pigeonholing MLS players into the national team roster, like the largely ineffective or unused Ferreira, Moore, Jordan Morris, Cristian Roldan, Kellyn Acosta, and Aaron Long. We simply need to select the best men for the job, in both the squad of players and in our coaching, rather than make decisions by agenda, favoritism, or nepotism.
Next, we need to start setting our sights higher. This isn’t the same USMNT as in the past-- we have a real talented core of players that the world’s best sides, on both the club and international stage, are starting to take notice of. We must start scheduling tournaments and friendlies against elite teams to challenge ourselves; finding a way into the next Copa América would be a great start. Simply playing in the Gold Cup, the Nations League, and in lower-stakes friendlies isn’t going to give our players enough of a test against elite competition as they need.
I mean it when I say America will have a great chance to make a deep run -- for the first time since 1930 -- at the next World Cup. With the United States hosting the 2026 edition of the storied event (alongside Mexico and Canada, though the USA will get the lion’s share of matches), and with our most important players all hitting their prime ages that year, with consistent improvement over the next four years this team could seriously be a force to contend with. We just need to aim higher, and put ourselves in the best position to succeed.
This is no longer a team that’s happy to be at the World Cup. This is a team that wants to win it. And we need to start acting like it, or we’re going to end up squandering the best generation of men’s soccer players our country has ever seen, as well as the best chance for the sport to reach new heights of popularity in the United States. And maybe, the first step to ascend to those heights is to find a new head coach. ■
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