USWNT need to kick it in gear vs. dangerous Dutch team in Olympic quarterfinal Friday
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
Heading into Friday’s win-or-go-home Olympic quarterfinal against the 2019 World Cup runner-up Netherlands (7 a.m. ET, NBCSN/Telemundo), the United States women’s national team is trying to think as little as possible about its underwhelming performance so far at these Tokyo Games.
Makes sense. After all, for the first time in 15 combined World Cup and Olympic tournaments, the USWNT were shut out twice in the group stage on the way to a second-place finish in Group G.
None of that matters now, though. The Americans advanced to the knockout stage anyway, and having a short memory will go a long way toward helping them beat an experienced and dangerous Dutch team that is hell-bent on revenge after dropping that world title match two summers ago.
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"We’re here to compete and win a gold medal," U.S. defender Crystal Dunn told reporters on a Zoom call on the eve of the contest. "However way we get there, winning is the most important thing."
The group stage was challenging for the USWNT for a number of reasons. They faced a medal contender right away in Sweden and closed their three-game first round slate with another in Australia. The short rest between games — just two days — wasn’t ideal for a veteran squad that is getting up there in years. Also, with none or few fans in attendance, they were forced to spur themselves on during difficult moments.
Oh, and coach Vlatko Andonovski also had to manage his tactics and his athletes’ minutes to ensure that his team would be as fresh as possible when it mattered most.
That moment is now.
"You’ve seen us take different tactical approaches in the group stage, and now we’re in a knockout phase," said forward Christen Press. "I think that will look really different. I expect to see a lot of high energy from our players, an eagerness to score, an eagerness to win the ball back and control the game a bit more."
Knowing their foe should help. In addition to beating the Netherlands in that finale in France, the Americans traveled to the Dutch city of Breda to face the Oranje last November, their first match following an unplanned eight-month hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic that pushed Tokyo 2020 back a year.
And as they did at the last World Cup, the U.S. won 2-0.
But that was a friendly exhibition. Friday’s match is the real deal. And the Netherlands, Europe’s reigning champion, has looked nearly unstoppable in Japan, with star striker Vivianne Miedema already having set an Olympic record with eight goals so far.
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"The Dutch have a very clear style of play that they adhere to," Press said of the Netherlands’ attacking game. "When they won their Euros and when they made the World Cup final, that was new for them. I think the biggest difference is now they have years under their belt at the top."
The U.S. has already shut down an all-world player in these Games, successfully neutralizing Australia’s Samantha Kerr last match. And like any team, the Dutch do have their weaknesses. They’re organized and tough defensively, but the way the Netherlands push numbers forward can leave them vulnerable when the ball changes possession.
The U.S. relied on a counterattacking strategy in its last game but couldn’t capitalize on the chances it created.
"We did enough in the game against Australia to put some goals away," Dunn said of the scoreless tie.
With a little more precision on Friday, Andonovski believes the goals will come.
"They do have areas on the field that are more open," the coach said. "Hopefully we can take advantage of it."
The USWNT know they have more to give in Tokyo, and they're relishing Friday’s opportunity rather than looking back.
"We know what type of team we are and what type of offense we are," Press said. "We have a way that we play, we have a way that we score goals. It’s been successful for years.
"It’s our job to take the pitch and beat that team and not to be thinking about the last game or the group stage," she continued. "We face up well with Netherlands. And if we perform the way we should, we should have success."
One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
