USWNT plays Netherlands to 1-1 draw in second Women’s World Cup group match
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – The U.S. Women’s National Team tied the Netherlands 1-1 in the team’s second group stage match at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
A goal from midfielder and team captain Lindsey Horan helped the USA earn a point as it rallied to come from a one-goal deficit in what was a thrilling match between the two finalists at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
With the result, the USWNT stays atop Group E, tied with Netherlands on four points but with an advantage on goal differential (USA +3, NED +1). Portugal and Vietnam, both of whom lost their first matches, play later in the day. The Group E berths into the Round of 16 will be decided during the final round of matches in which the USA will take on Portugal on Aug. 1 at Eden Park in Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau (7 p.m. local / 3 a.m. ET on FOX, Telemundo and Peacock) while the Netherlands faces Vietnam at the same time in Dunedin.
With the result, the USA extends its unbeaten record in group stage matches to eight and the match marked just the second time in the USA’s World Cup history that the Americans have come back to win or tie after trailing at the half. It was the first such result since coming back to beat Germany 3-2 in the quarterfinal of the 1999 Women’s World Cup.
Although the USA had a bit of a stuttering start in the first half, the Americans dominated the match, outshooting the Netherlands 18-4 while piling up 11 corner kicks to just one for the Dutch. The U.S. defense was stellar, holding the Netherlands to just one shot on goal, which unfortunately went in, but U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was not forced to make a save.
The USA created chances down the wings while using the speed and skill of forwards Sophia Smith, Alex Morgan and Trinity Rodman to serve some dangerous crosses into the box as midfielders Savannah DeMelo and Horan did well to pull the strings in the attack.
The U.S. had a couple of close chances in the first half, but it was Netherlands who opened the scoring, capitalizing on a quick attack that started in their own half and ended with midfielder Jill Rood finishing with a low shot from 17 yards out into the lower left corner.
Just one minute later, forward Trinity Rodman came close to equalizing with a shot from almost 25 yards out that forced Dutch goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar to make an impressive flying save, but the U.S. headed into the break down by one despite forcing five corner kicks in the first half.
The USA came out determined in the second half and got some creative spark as midfielder Rose Lavelle came into the match for DeMelo. As the contest got more intense and physical, the U.S. earned a corner which was interrupted by an exchange of words between Horan and midfielder Danielle Van de Donk, who moments earlier had dished out a nasty challenge near the left sideline on her Olympique Lyon teammate. The referee let advantage play on, and the Americans earned that corner kick. The referee then spoke with both players before resuming the game and Lavelle proceeded to serve in the corner kick which Horan met with a brilliant header on a run toward the near post, burying the equalizer to send the stadium into an eruption of USA chants.
The USA picked up the pace even more after the goal and continued to test the Dutch time after time with creative combination play and strikes on goal led by the trio of forward, all of whom caused problems for the Dutch defense over the 90 minutes. The USA looked like it would get a game-winner as it pushed hard in the last 10 minutes, and perhaps the best of those chances came off another corner in the 84th minute as Morgan flicked a headed pass back to Smith inside the box on the right side and she fired a powerful half-volley on frame that was cleared off the line by the head of forward Lieke Martens. Rodman also had a golden chance when she got behind the defense in the 82nd minute in the left side of the penalty area and with only Van Domselaar to beat, sent her shot left-footed shot just wide of the right post.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN:
NED – Jill Rood (Victoria Pelova) 17th minute: Netherlands raced up the field from their defending third as Lieke Martens played Pelova out on the right wing from just past midfield. Pelova tried to send a low cross into the box, which was blocked by defender Crystal Dunn, but Pelova got the rebound and found Rood at the top of the box and she finished with a low shot into the lower left corner to beat diving U.S. goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. USA 0, NED 1
USA – Lindsey Horan (Rose Lavelle) 62nd minute: Lavelle served an in-swinging corner kick from the right side to the near post and Horan made a run to get away from her marker before whipping in a header that took a slight deflection off the head of Esmee Brugts and plowed into the net. USA 1, NED 1
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- The USA’s starting lineup was the same as deployed in its opening match against Vietnam, which featured five players who were part of the USA’s 2019 Women’s World Cup championship squad and six players who made their FIFA Women’s World Cup debut.
- With her assist, Rose Lavelle now has a goal or an assist in three of her four career games against the Netherlands.
- Lavelle’s assist marked her first at a FIFA Women’s World Cup, adding to her three goals scored in the 2019 edition of the tournament, the last of which came against Netherlands in the World Cup Final to help the USA win its fourth world title.
- Netherlands’ opening goal marked the first time the USA trailed in a World Cup match since the 2011 Quarterfinal against Brazil. It was just the seventh time the USA has conceded first at a World Cup and the first time since the 2011 Group Stage against Sweden.
- The USA and Netherlands have now played 11 total matches and this was their third meeting at a major tournament. The U.S. leads the overall series with eight wins, two draws and one loss (8W-2D-1L), the lone defeat to the Dutch came in a 4-3 defeat during the first matchup between the teams in 1991. Since then, the USA is unbeaten in its last 10 games against the Netherlands, though each of the last six meetings between the teams has been decided by two goals or fewer.
- The matchup in Wellington was the USA’s 23rd matchup all-time against a UEFA opponent at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The U.S. had won its previous six World Cup games against European foes and is now 18W-2D-3L all-time in World Cup games against UEFA.
-U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM MATCH REPORT-
Match: United States Women’s National Team vs. Netherlands
Date: July 27, 2023
Competition: 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia & New Zealand; Group E
Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium; Wellington/Te Whanganui-a-Tara, New Zealand
Attendance: 27,312
Kickoff: 1 p.m. NZT (9 p.m. ET on July 26)
Weather: 50 degrees; windy
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
USA 0 1 1
NED 1 0 1
NED – Jill Roord (Victoria Pelova) 17th minute
USA – Lindsey Horan (Rose Lavelle) 62
Lineups:
USA: 1-Alyssa Naeher; 23-Emily Fox, 4-Naomi Girma, 8-Julie Ertz, 19-Crystal Dunn; 17-Andi Sullivan, 10-Lindsey Horan (Capt.), 9-Savannah DeMelo (16-Rose Lavelle, 46); 11-Sophia Smith, 13-Alex Morgan, 20-Trinity Rodman
Substitutes not used: 18-Casey Murphy, 21-Aubrey Kingsbury, 2-Ashley Sanchez, 3-Sofia Huerta, 5-Kelley O’Hara; 6-Lynn Williams, 7-Alyssa Thompson, 12-Alana Cook, 14-Emily Sonnett, 15-Megan Rapinoe, 22-Kristie Mewis
Head coach: Vlatko Andonovski
NED: 1-Daphne van Domselaar; 8-Sherida Spitse (Capt.), 3-Stefanie van der Gragt (4-Aniek Nouwen, 46), 20-Dominique Janssen; 17-Victoria Pelova (18-Kerstin Casparij, 86), 6-Jill Roord (13-Renate Jansen, 90+4), 14-Jackie Groenen, 10-Daniëlle van de Donk, 22-Esmee Brugts; 9-Katja Snoeijs (21-Damaris Egurrola, 71),11-Lieke Martens
Substitutes not used: 16-Lize Kop, 23-Jacintha Anouchka Weimar, 2-Lynn Anke Hannie Wilms, 5-Merel van Dongen, 12-Jill Baijings, 15-Caitlin Dijkstra, 19-Wieke Kaptein
Not Available: 7-Lineth Beerensteyn
Head coach: Andries Jonker
Stats Summary: USA / NED
Shots: 18 / 4
Shots on Goal: 4 / 1
Saves: 0 / 2
Corner Kicks: 11 / 1
Fouls: 13 / 15
Offside: 1 / 1
Misconduct Summary:
USA – Rose Lavelle (Caution) 51st minute
Officials:
Referee: Bouchra Yoshimi Yamashita (JPN)
Assistant Referee 1: Makoto Bozono (JPN)
Assistant Referee 2: Naomi Teshirogi (JPN)
4th Official: Yujeong Kim (KOR)
VAR: Juan Soto (VEN)
AVAR 1: Nicolas Gallo (COL)
AVAR 2: Leslie Vasquez (CHI)
Woman of the Match: Lindsey Horan
