Tag: Netherlands

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Day 4 Recap: Jamaica earns shocking draw

Jamaica’s surprising draw against mighty France highlighed the fourth day of action

On Day 4 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, there was plenty to get excited about. From marquee matchups to surprising finishes, there was a lot of intrigue. In the opening match, Sweden took on South Africa. That was followed by Netherlands against Portugal, while France and Jamaica wrapped up the day.

But before we get into the games, here is a quick reminder that you can keep up with the entirety of the World Cup right here at Pro Soccer Wire. Make sure to check out the TV/streaming schedule, an updated list of the group stage standings, and a look at the race for the Golden Boot.

Now, let’s see how Day 4 went down.

Netherlands coach slams ‘amateur’ training setup at World Cup

“This fits with amateurism of the highest order,” Andries Jonker charged

Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker has charged that his team’s training setup at the Women’s World Cup is “amateurism of the highest order.”

Jonker’s side is training at the Bay Oval in Tauranga, New Zealand — a converted cricket ground that required up to 500 hours of work to be ready for the Netherlands to use as a base camp.

The Netherlands had previously voiced concerns over the pitch and although plenty of work has been done to ensure it is up to standard, Jonker was not impressed with the result.

“When we arrived here on Wednesday, I thought: ‘What is this now? I will not train on this,'” Jonker said at a press conference. “We have raised concerns about the cricket pitch previously, we were promised things and now we are very disappointed and angry. We are not satisfied.

“We want to play a good first match against Portugal here, we want to have a top preparation, a top tournament and we also consider ourselves a top team. This does not fit. This fits with amateurism of the highest order.”

Jonker, whose side has been drawn into Group E alongside the United States, Portugal and Vietnam, said he is concerned about the potential for injuries on the makeshift pitch.

He added: “If you fall on it with your knee or your shoulder, you could have a problem. If you sprint from the grass to that pitch, that is also not good for muscles and tendons that are already under tension. With other exercises we can train around that pitch, but 11 against 11 doesn’t work.”

Though Jonker was far from impressed with the state of the Bay Oval pitch, at least one of his team’s biggest stars seems to have a differing opinion.

Lieke Martens said the pitch looked “amazing,” according to the New Zealand Herald.

“It is a really good pitch. It is a really good area to prepare us for the first game,” Martens added.

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Edwin van der Sar stable in ICU after brain hemorrhage

The 52-year-old is in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Croatia

Legendary Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is in stable condition after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on vacation in Croatia.

The 52-year-old is in the intensive care unit after De Telegraaf reported he was rushed to the hospital by helicopter.

Van der Sar recently resigned after six years as a director at Ajax, which released a statement on his condition Friday.

“On Friday, Edwin van der Sar has had a bleeding around his brain,” Ajax said on social media. “He’s currently in hospital in the intensive care unit and is in a stable condition.

“Once there is more concrete information, an update will follow. Everyone at Ajax wishes Edwin a speedy recovery. We’re thinking of you.”

The following day, Ajax offered another update, saying Van der Sar “will remain in intensive care for the time being. His condition is stable but still concerning.”

During his playing career, Van der Sar earned 130 caps for the Netherlands while playing for Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United, where he won the Premier League four times.

United tweeted on Friday: “Sending all our love and strength to you, Edwin.”

De Telegraaf reported that Van der Sar was on vacation with his wife Annemarie, who suffered a brain hemorrhage herself in 2009 when her husband was at Manchester United. She would go on to make a full recovery.

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Full 2022 World Cup Round of 16 betting odds, including updated title odds

Betting odds for each match in the Round of 16, including USA vs. Netherlands.

With the group stage of the 2022 World Cup all wrapped up following the final four matches Friday, it’s time to take a look at where the betting odds stand as the tournament advances to a single-elimination format for the Round of 16.

The knockout stages begins Saturday with none other than the United States, which gets set to match up against Netherlands. While the U.S. is an underdog, it isn’t as big a dog as other teams across the eight games being played through Tuesday.

Here’s a look at all of those matchups and updated title odds entering the Round of 16.

Netherlands is no juggernaut and the USMNT have a golden opportunity to advance in the World Cup

The U.S. has its best shot to advance to the quarterfinals in a long time.

If you stripped away all context from the United States Men’s National Team’s matchup with the Netherlands in the Round of 16, you’d wonder how the USMNT could possibly survive the “Oranje.” Take a closer look and, whoa, wait — you realize the current Dutch squad is actually a shell of the team featuring Arjen Robben, Wesley Schneider, and Robin Van Persie that lost in the 2010 World Cup Final.

(Robin Williams in Jumanji voice): What year is it???

At this incredibly late realization, I tell you the USMNT should not be intimidated by the modern iteration of the famed Scandivanian Orange in the least. If anything, this is one of the more favorable matchups on paper for an American squad that seems primed to finally make a deep World Cup run.

It’s easy to say that Memphis Depay and Co. should have the edge over USMNT. After all, they had relatively little trouble running rampant through Group A of this World Cup. The Dutch recorded two clean sheets, conceded just one goal and otherwise mostly did what they pleased to their group. At the moment, the young Cody Gakpo (three goals) could be in line for the Golden Boot, and the Dutch play a quality, balanced attacking style out of a solid 3-4-1-2 formation. Given their established reputation of past success, they might be a legit dark horse for a solid run through the knockout stages.

On the other hand, we saw cracks in the Dutch armor against Ecuador. The speed of the Ecuadorian team, led by Enner Valencia, saw it pepper the fateful Orange with 15 shots (four on goal), while the Netherlands barely sustained any offense (two shots; one on goal) in a 1-1 draw. On a better day for Ecuador, they rout the Netherlands, upsetting a traditional European power.

On paper, the USMNT have more firepower and better defensive integrity to make the Dutch regret avoidable mistakes. Thanks to the efforts of lightning-quick talismans like Tyler Adams, the U.S. conceded just one goal in the group stage, even nullifying the offense of a World Cup favorite in England. (Not to mention that a healthy Christian Pulisic might be the best player on the field and can influence the action the most as a true No. 10.) Aside from a glaring gap of a truly great striker — the reason the USMNT offense can often be underwhelming in the final third — there’s enough American speed here to push most comers, especially if those opponents don’t bring their A-game.

Plus, seriously, look at this underlying statistical performance from Adams against England — who is, once again, a huge World Cup favorite and a true soccer titan. It’s absurd:

I’m not sure if this iteration of the Dutch even if have an A-game! That is unless Robben is coming out of retirement at 38 years old. (I wouldn’t advise that.)

Nonetheless, I understand the aversion to favoring the USMNT on a platform they’ve failed to advance past since 2002. Younger squads like this must prove they belong before you start betting on their success. But the Dutch — currently No. 8 in FIFA’s official World Rankings — have the pungent scent of “overrated”. The expectation from the international community will be that they dispatch the pesky, upstart Americans. But I wouldn’t overlook the USMNT here. I see a straight-line path to the quarterfinals for an “underdog” already punching above its weight class on the world stage.

I believe that they will … put up a great fight.

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Big win for schadenfreude as Qatar is first team eliminated at World Cup

Qatar has no way to get to the knockout round after today’s World Cup results

The World Cup isn’t over for Qatar, but as far as their obligations on the field, they’ll definitely only get one more game.

The hosts are the first team to be mathematically eliminated at the World Cup, with no path that leads them out of Group A. Friday’s 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Ecuador leaves them with an impossible task.

Earlier on Friday, Qatar fell 3-1 to Senegal, meaning that they started the World Cup off with two losses. There’s only one scenario where a team can do that and go through, but it’s no longer a possibility for Qatar, the host nation that everyone likes and no one has huge reservations about.

The Netherlands and Ecuador both have four points, while Senegal is on three. Qatar, coming off of two losses, can’t do better than three, meaning the best they can do is third place.

Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Senegal will all be facing off for two spots in the knockout rounds in the final set of games in Group A, but for the hosts, the results of the final set of games are academic.

Has any host ever done this badly?

No!

Qatar is just the second host nation to ever go out at the group stage, joining South Africa in 2010. Home field advantage is very real at the World Cup: most host nations (18 of 22, to be exact) have managed to go as far as the quarterfinal round, much less simply get out of their group.

However, there’s some crucial context to add here. South Africa beat France, finished with four points, and were only eliminated on goal difference. The Bafana Bafana left the tournament with their heads held high. Qatar, meanwhile, is at risk of going out without a single point. That makes the argument that Qatar is the worst World Cup host ever, a point people have been making regardless of the final scores in this tournament.

Qatar being eliminated early won’t undo the horrors of the kafala system used to build the stadiums and other infrastructure, or the hostility towards LGBTQ+ fans, but it does at least mean we can all enjoy a bit of schadenfreude.

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Cody Gakpo seized his moment with Netherlands game-winner vs. Senegal

It looks like Gakpo is ready for the big time

Cody Gakpo wants to make sure he’s on any list of breakout young stars at this World Cup.

The PSV attacker scored what turned out to be the game-winner for the Netherlands in their 2-0 victory over Senegal, heading a chipped pass from Frenkie de Jong home in the 84th minute.

Things weren’t going as smoothly as Louis van Gaal had planned, with a potent Senegal team creating their fair share of chances (and in fact, out-shooting the Dutch 15-10 on the night). A draw wouldn’t have been a disaster, but it would have made things far more stressful in their next match against group-leading Ecuador.

That was Gakpo’s cue. With de Jong looking for options and most Dutch attackers stagnant and marked up well by Senegal, Gakpo made eye contact and slashed in from the right half-space. De Jong’s lob was right on the money: just close enough to draw goalkeeper Édouard Mendy off his line, but into a space where Gakpo could arrive first to break the deadlock.

It’s the latest big moment for Gakpo, who drew intense transfer interest this summer from Manchester United, Leeds, and other clubs around Europe only to end up sticking with PSV. The 23-year-old debuted at PSV at 18, but really started to catch the eye in the 2019-2020 season, producing seven goals and seven assists in the Eredivisie.

Since then, Gakpo has scored 36 goals in all competitions, an excellent record for a midfielder/winger with just over 100 appearances for PSV. And now with this World Cup goal, the spotlight — and winter transfer interest — will likely keep growing.

Watch Gakpo give the Netherlands a World Cup win

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2023 Women’s World Cup Draw sets up USWNT vs. Netherlands rematch

The USWNT will face Vietnam, the Netherlands, and the winner of a playoff next year

The draw for the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand is complete.

Saturday’s World Cup draw took place at the Aotea Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, and saw the U.S. women’s national team placed in Group E. That has set up an enticing 2019 World Cup final rematch, with the Netherlands ending up in the same quartet. The two world powers will face off on July 27 in Wellington.

Vietnam will be the USWNT’s first opponent, on July 22, while they will finish up their schedule on August 1 against a yet-to-be-determined opponent. Cameroon, Thailand, and Portugal will face off in February 2023, with one team claiming the spot in the USWNT’s group. Cameroon will play Thailand on February 18, with the winner going up against Portugal four days later. Both matches will be played at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton, New Zealand.

Group E’s matches will all take place in New Zealand, with the USWNT having two games at Eden Park in Auckland on either side of a match at Wellington Regional Stadium.

If the USWNT wins Group E, their path to a third straight World Cup title will involve a trip to Sydney for the Round of 16, then a return to New Zealand for the quarterfinal and semifinal. If they end up in second place, they will face a Round of 16 match in Melbourne before both a quarterfinal and semifinal in Auckland. The World Cup final will take place on August 20 in Sydney.

The tournament will open with New Zealand facing Norway in Group A at Eden Park on July 20, while Australia will play the Republic of Ireland later that day at the Sydney Football Stadium.

World Cup 2023 draw results

Group A: New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Switzerland

Group B: Australia, Republic of Ireland, Nigeria, Canada

Group C: Spain, Costa Rica, Zambia, Japan

Group D: England, Group B playoff winner (one of Senegal, Haiti, or Chile), Denmark, China

Group E: United States, Vietnam, Netherlands, Group A playoff winner (one of Cameroon, Thailand, or Portugal)

Group F: France, Jamaica, Brazil, Group C playoff winner (one of Chinese Taipei, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, or Panama)

Group G: Sweden, South Africa, Italy, Argentina

Group H: Germany, Morocco, South Korea, Colombia

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Georginio Wijnaldum is set to miss the World Cup with a broken leg

A major blow to the Dutch hopes in Qatar

Georginio Wijnaldum will almost certainly miss the World Cup due to a broken leg suffered in training with Roma.

The Netherlands captain joined Roma from PSG on a one-year loan deal with a purchase option, but he played just 12 minutes for his new club before suffering the injury.

Roma confirmed on Sunday that the midfielder had suffered a fracture to the tibia in his right leg, with further tests to be carried out.

Speaking to Sky Sports after Friday’s Europa League draw, Roma general manager Tiago Pinto said that Wijnaldum would be aiming for a January return, which would rule him out of the World Cup in November and December.

“It was a difficult 24 hours to manage,” Pinto said. “It took a lot of us to bring Gini to Roma. We knew he was very important for the team.

“It seemed that had been here for a year, it was unfortunate but he was the first to show motivation to recover. He will be our reinforcement in January.”

Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Wijnaldum has opted against surgery on his leg and will instead proceed with a more conservative rehab plan.

Wijnaldum has been capped 86 times by the Netherlands, and played every minute of his country’s four matches at Euro 2020 last summer.

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FIFA to start 2022 World Cup a day early with Qatar vs. Ecuador

The World Cup is closer than you think

The World Cup is coming up even faster than it seems.

FIFA on Thursday confirmed reports that it would move the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar up a day, with the hosts now set to host Ecuador in a standalone opener on November 20.

Originally, the World Cup was set to open on November 21, with Senegal facing the Netherlands in the opening game of the tournament, and Qatar vs. Ecuador coming up later in the day.

That would have marked a break with tradition that has long seen either the host or the defending champion participate in the World Cup curtain-raiser.

However, FIFA—after what it calls “an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country”—has opted to return to that pattern, with Qatar now playing in the tournament’s first game, which will take place at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

To go along with the change, FIFA has also changed the start time for that Senegal vs. Netherlands match, moving it from 1:00pm local time to 7:00pm. That will leave it nestled between the Group B doubleheader set for the same day, with England playing Iran at 4:00pm, and the U.S. men’s national team taking on Wales at 10:00pm.

FIFA added that there will be no change to the final date that clubs must release players to join their national teams, which remains November 14.

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