The doors to the round of 16 of the first World Cup will open at 16:00 and the Netherlands will face the United States at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. Neither team has known the bitterness of defeat in the basic round, and theoretically it could happen that one of the two leaves the championship without losing in regulation time. The paper favorites are the Oranjes, but rather an equal battle is expected, which could go to penalties.
The greatest success of the Tulips at the World Cup was getting into the finals, the last time this happened in 2010 in the Republic of South Africa. Four years later, the Netherlands finished in third place, and there is talk of a ‘medal’ success or even a title in this championship. In any case, there is still a long way to go in the top four, and right at the start is a strong opponent from the USA.
Holland doesn’t play pleasant football with van Gaal, after all the end justifies the means and in short the Oranjes don’t hesitate in the group. They defeated Senegal (2:0) and home team Qatar (2:0) and recorded their only loss against Ecuador (1:1). With seven points, they have come through the group quite easily and D-day will come for them on Saturday. “The United States has shown that they have a very good team, I would say one of the best tuned teams. But it’s nothing we can’t overcome. They are an energetic team, they have strong physical players and this is difficult for any opponent. They have results, but We will do everything to beat them” declared Louis van Gaal in the press conference.
The US made it to the top sixteen at the last minute in an uphill battle against a fiery Iran. The match, which was talked about a lot in advance due to its political connections, was decided by the only goal of Christian Pulisic, by the way the biggest star of the Americans at the tournament. In the first two group games, the USA drew with Wales (1:1) and England (0:0).
Coach Gregg Berhalter dreamed of the Netherlands in the round of 16. In his professional playing career, he has worked in the land of tulips and windmills. He played for Zwolle, Sparta Rotterdam and Cambuur. “I learned a lot in Holland. Being there was a great experience for me” recalled the USA coach.
Furthermore, Berhalter is not the only squad member who has experience in Dutch football. Serginho Dest has a Dutch mother and grew up in the countryside and attended the Ajax academy. “When you’re at a club like Ajax, there’s a lot of attention on you. It’s a great club for developing young players and he’s done really well there.” declared to Desta Berhalter.
The Americans were absent from the last championship in Russia, but the team has since matured and its players play for major European clubs. The best finish at the World Cup is the semi-final in 1930. That’s quite a long time, but why can’t a similar success be repeated? While participating in the World Cup in Brazil, the United States finished in the round of 16, so Berhalter has already managed to reach this milestone and this could be a psychological advantage.
It won’t be the first time they’ve met. Since 2010, the two countries have played two friendlies together and shared a one-to-one draw. The Netherlands won in 2010 with a score of 2:1, and five years later the USA cheered after a shootout (4:3).
