Lineth Beerensteyn, the forward for the Netherlands, did not mask her feelings regarding the U.S. women’s national team’s surprising exit from the World Cup.
The USWNT’s early departure, post their loss to Sweden, left Beerensteyn and the Dutch quite pleased, taking the opportunity to critique the U.S. team’s attitude during the tournament held in Australia and New Zealand.
The Dutch forward faces Spain in the quarterfinals on Thursday
Beerensteyn didn’t mince words when discussing the USWNT’s attitude. She revealed, “From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, ‘Yes! Bye!’,” as reported by ESPN.
From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final. I was thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you talk.
Their performance was, undoubtedly, a complete and utter disappointment. Following a subpar performance in the group stages, the USWNT’s journey was ended by Sweden during a nail-biting penalty shootout in Melbourne‘s Round of 16. Alarmingly, the USWNT’s lack of goals stretched to 238 minutes, setting a record low in their storied history. The criticism the USWNT has been receiving since then has been overwhelming to say the least, although deserved.
Sweden shocked the world after eliminating the USA
The aftermath of this setback will see the team turn a new page without several iconic names. Key players like Megan Rapinoe and Julie Ertz have decided to hang up their boots, signaling a changing of the guard. The new era offers promising talents such as Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Alyssa Thompson.
Many may argue that the USWNT‘s prior success, marked by consecutive titles, might have led to their overconfidence entering this World Cup. But as events unfolded, this assuredness did not translate to results. Showing the growth of the women’s game on a global level.
Despite her candid opinions, Beerensteyn clarified her stance, emphasizing respect for the USWNT. She stated, “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.”
And so the USWNT takes that message with them as they start a new World Cup cycle and begin preparations for 2027.
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