The United States‘ early elimination from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup brought some joy to at least one player on one of the team’s top rivals.
Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn shared with reporters that she was happy to see the USWNT get knocked out by Sweden in the round of 16 because of the way the team handled itself in the lead-up to the tournament.
“From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, ‘Yes! Bye!’” Beerensteyn said Thursday. “From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final.”
Beerensteyn acknowledged the United States’ talent level and accomplishments, saying she had “respect” for them. But she thought the Americans focused too early on cementing their status as the first team to ever win three straight World Cups, causing them to overlook their opponents before getting knocked out.
“I was thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you talk [big],” Beerensteyn continued. “I’m not being rude in that way, I still have a lot of respect for them, but now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief, and for them, it’s something they will have to take with them in the future.
“Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”
The United States and the Dutch have formed a rivalry in women’s soccer over the last few years, even if the Americans have won most of the battles (the United States is 8-2-1 all-time against the Netherlands). The United States defeated the Netherlands, 2-0, in 2019 in the Women’s World Cup final.
Both squads faced off again two years later at the 2020 Olympics in the quarterfinals. The United States prevailed again, winning in penalty kicks.
For the third time in as many major tournaments, the United States and the Netherlands played each other again at this year’s Women’s World Cup as both were in Group E. The Netherlands set the stage up to get some payback, forcing a 1-1 draw against the United States in its group match. Days later, the Dutch won Group E after a dominant win over Vietnam, while the United States squeaked in the round of 16 following its draw against Portugal.
The Netherlands went on to win its round of 16 match against South Africa, 2-0. Hours later, the United States was knocked out of the tournament when Sweden defeated it in penalty kicks (5-4).
The loss marked the earliest the United States has been eliminated from the Women’s World Cup, failing to reach the semifinals of the tournament for the first time ever. It also ended its streak of appearing in the Women’s World Cup final at three, winning the last two.
Even though Sweden ended the United States’ hopes of a three-peat, Swedish star Magdalena Eriksson gave major props to the USWNT following its upset win, saying the Americans are “still a massive powerhouse in women’s football.”
“They’re still an amazing team,” Eriksson told reporters Sunday. “They’re definitely the toughest team we’ve faced so far in the tournament.
“They have amazing players. The youngsters really impressed me today. I think both [Naomi] Girma and [Sophia] Smith had an amazing game. So the future is bright.”
Erkisson’s teammate Kosovare Asllani echoed that praise — and issued a warning to those who would take Beerensteyn’s approach in reacting to the USWNT’s elimination.
Both the Netherlands and Sweden continue their bids to win the Women’s World Cup in the quarterfinals. Beerensteyn, who was part of the Dutch team that lost to the Americans in 2019, leads her team against Spain on Thursday (9 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) after scoring in the round of 16. Sweden faces Japan not long after on Friday (3:30 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
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