Zac Electrifly

The United States took on the Netherlands for their second match of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The United States was 1-0-0 in the tournament going into this game. The United States beat Vietnam 3-0 in their opening match. The United States was leading Group E going into the game. The Netherlands were 1-0-0 as well. The Netherlands beat Portugal 1-0 in their opening match. They were second in Group E. The United states had an all time record of 8-1-1 against the Netherlands going into this game. Their last match was on November 27th, 2020. The United States won that match 2-0.

This match had a lot of weight to it. A win for either side would have meant that they would advance past the group stage. The United States need to do better on finishing their chances and tighten up on things like passing. The Netherlands didn’t look that strong in first match. They just didn’t look like they had strong offense after their first game. I thought this game was going to be close with goals being at a premium. Ultimately though a loss here was not the end of the world for either team. They both would still have one more opportunity to win and advance no matter the result of this game.

United States VS Netherlands Preview | FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

The Netherlands scored the opening goal of the game. They scored in the 17′ minute. #6 Jill Roord scored the goal. The coverage from the United States defenders broke down. That left a Netherlands player wide open in the box with the ball. Her initial pass towards the middle was blocked but not cleared out of the box. The Netherlands ended up getting the ball back. It was passed towards the middle and top of the box. The shot from there went in. This really comes down to a break in the United States coverage followed by failing to get or clear the ball. The Netherlands would take a 1-0 lead into halftime.

The second half started with a United States yellow card in the 51′ minute. The United States tied the game in the 62′ minute. The goal was scored by #10 Lindsey Horan. The United States would get a corner kick to the left of the keeper. Then it was headed in. The United States did score again in the 67′ minute but that goal was called back for offsides. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

LINDSEY HORAN SENDS THE ULTIMATE MESSAGE 🇺🇸

THE @USWNT HAS LEVELED IT 🤫 pic.twitter.com/IV7hnG4CyK

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 27, 2023

The United States need to start the tournament off strong and they did that. Yes they have some areas they need to improve but they still dominated. The main area that needs improvement now is their finishing. They should have had five to seven goals in that game but just fell apart when it came to putting the ball into the back of the net. They just need to tighten up. A noticed a lot of passes that didn’t connect so they need to work on their timing. It’s their first game of the tournament and some of this is expected. It was their 13th straight that they have won at the world cup.

The United States had plenty of shots and chances. Possession was close. The United States also had eleven corners. That is a lot of set pieces that they didn’t do a lot with.

The United States is still on top of Group E. The United States still has a chance of not making it out of the group stage. Both Portugal and Vietnam could still end up with up to six points. Based on the results of that game later tonight the United States might have to win their final group game to advance.