- 18' - Turned on TV - Boo! NED 1-0. Not stressed though like IRN match.
- [Start: No Sargent available. No Reyna sighting but on bench. Ferreira (MLS)? 2' - Save! USA needs a goal early. Wide open. 10' - NED goal 1-0]
- 35' - NED playing great defense allowing USA possession but no passing lanes. Interestingly, when USA GK has the ball, lots of orange jerseys in the area clogging outlet pass.
- 43' - "Zimmerman (MLS) mishits that ball" - yeah, I'm drunk already from his play.
- 45'+1 - With just +1', NED scores off another wide-open cross from the right in the box. Duplicate of first goal. NED 2-0.
- 46:40 - End half.
- 8:02 am - Start half. I do hope Reyna is healthy as he enters match replacing MLS player (Ferreira). Still not nervous though probably would be if at a Watch Party (e.g., Tom's Watch Bar)
- 49' - Ream can't get enough right at goal line. USA still struggling to finish.
- 50' - NED another cross from right, closer to goal and nearly an own goal ("save" by Turner). Whew.
- 53' - Why can't USA players hit it first time? McKinnie on cross settles first then skies shot. Both NED's goals were first-time clinical finishes.
- 8:11 am - Hmmm... my FOX stream on TV seems to be a full minute behind (FIFA+ app). Going to restart stream. Still behind. Oh, well, eyes on TV.
- 60' - First yellow, this to NED. Another USA free kick (Pulisic) and another to a NED defender.
- 64' - Robinson on the ground injured. Time ticking away. Wright (can he redeem himself?) and Aaronson ready to come in. Players tired but winner of this match will get 5 full days of rest (opponent ARGvAUS will only get 3 full days of rest). Put it all on the line!
- 69' - Aaronson run right off the ball then commits foul. Child's play.
- 71' Turner double-save. Time running out.
- 75' - Misplay by NED, but it's to Wright, who predictably instead of hitting it first time, has a touch too long, and barely gets a slow ball on goal, easily cleared off.
- 76'- Wright?? The pass is just behind him and he mishits but bounces high and into the net. NED 2, USA 1. I'll take it.
- 78' - NED passes are getting sloppy, NED GK comes out to prevent another one-on-one attempt. This GK only started for NED in the WC? Crazy.
- 80' - USA corner, first of 2nd half. Can they do well like their CKs against MEX in Gold Cup? Higher this time but GK catch.
- 81' - Wide open header, NED 3-1. Wide open. All 3 goals NED players had free shot on goal. All one-touch finishes.
- 86' - Weak bicycle by Zimmerman goes wide left.
- 87' - NED yellow to stop a counter. Smart.
- 90' - Just six minutes of stoppage. Where is our +10? :-)
- 90'+2 - Moore (MLS) on... too late?
- 90'+3 - NED subs (will take a while). USA players waiting for runners, got to pass faster.
- 90'+4 - Aaronson dribbling unnecessarily. Is this a skills competition? As George Lucas would say "faster, more intense".
- 96:08 - Game over! Good effort but USA could not allow a goal early and couldn't allow a goal before halftime and failed at both. Just momentum killers, especially for this young team. It really came down to finishing as NED were clinical on crosses and USA could not convert some open looks. Reyna had time to adjust this time and did nothing. Maybe stop letting the fans pick your lineup. GK Turner had no chance on any of the 3 NED goals. Both teams missed 2018 and NED will give their hesitant fans back home hope and USA will take this memory into hosting in 2026.
- 9:00 am - Nice to see USA go toe-to-toe with soccer powers ENG and NED. It used to be absorb and get lucky on a counter. But whereas IRN missed their shot opportunities, NED finished with precision. Until NED started getting sloppy before stoppage time, their defense was solid, as USA had too much dribbling and not many one-touch passing.
Thank you USA!
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