The United States women’s national team concludes its 2024 schedule against the Netherlands on Tuesday.
The Americans played to a scoreless draw with England on Saturday in the first leg of their two-game European tour.
The USWNT takes a 19-game unbeaten streak into The Hague to take on the 11th-ranked team in the world.
Emma Hayes has not suffered a loss since taking over as USWNT manager this summer. A win would be a nice conclusion to her first six months in charge.
USWNT vs. Netherlands Info
Date: Tuesday, December 3
The Americans are trying to reach 20 games on their unbeaten streak.
The USWNT’s only defeat of the calendar year took place in February’s Gold Cup group stage against Mexico.
Hayes’ arrival this summer raised the program to a new level and that helped the Americans capture Olympic gold.
Tuesday’s game is part of a two-game swing to Europe for the USWNT to see how it compares to UEFA’s top teams.
The USWNT played to a 0-0 draw with England, the No. 2 team in the world, on Saturday. That was the 14th clean sheet earned by the Americans in 2024.
There’s more reliance on the defense in this international window because the top American attackers are not in the squad due to various reasons.
Alyssa Thompson and Lynn Williams headlined an attack that produced three shots on target against the Lionesses. Williams is the only forward on the current USWNT roster with a double-digit goal tally at the international level.
Jaedyn Shaw, who entered as a substitute against England, will be a candidate to enter the starting lineup. Shaw scored eight times in 20 international appearances.
Korbin Albert should slide into one of the midfield spots in one of Hayes’ other lineup changes. Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan started together in midfield in the tougher matchup against England. One of them could sit on Tuesday with Albert taking that position in the starting XI.
Tuesday marks the final game for goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who announced her international retirement prior to the USWNT’s matches in Europe. Naeher has earned 114 caps in her career and her retirement will usher in a new era at goalkeeper for the USWNT.
The Netherlands started the international window with a 4-1 win over China. That was a rare high-scoring game for the Dutch. Six of their last seven games against European opposition had two goals or less.
The Oranje have one edge over the USWNT and that’s in experience up top. Lineth Beerensteyn is the top forward to watch. She has 36 goals in 109 caps.
Defending strong attacks has not been the problem for the USWNT all year long, and with that foundation in place, the Americans just have to worry about converting their chances to come away with a win.
Prediction: USWNT 1, Netherlands 0
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Publish date : 2024-12-02 08:13:00
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