Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn is glad the United States are out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, accusing the world No.1s of an arrogant approach to the tournament.
The United States defeated the Netherlands in the 2019 tournament final and were favoured to win a third World Cup in a row this month in Australia and New Zealand.
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However, after sluggish group-stage play – including a 1-1 draw with the Dutch – Vlatko Andonovski’s side were knocked out in the round of 16 on penalties to Sweden for their worst-ever result at the tournament.
Asked by AAP how she felt about the US leaving the tournament, the Juventus forward didn’t hold back.
“The first moment when I heard that they were out I was just thinking ‘Yes, Bye’,” Beerensteyn said.
“From the start of this tournament they already like a really big mouth. They were talking already about the final.
“And I was just thinking ‘you first have to show it on the pitch before you’re talking’.”
The USWNT, known for their confidence and swagger, featured in a Fox Soccer advertisement in the lead-up to the tournament which rubbed many of their competitors the wrong way.
“The whole world is wondering, what’s it going to take to stop this US team?,” it begins, before imagining a series of elaborate plots by competing nations to try and beat them.
While the advertisement was designed for a domestic audience, the involvement of key players such as Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan suggested the team had co-opted the message.
Beerensteyn, who started in the 2019 final, tasting heartbeak on the game’s greatest stage, insisted she still respected the mighty USWNT.
“I’m not being rude in that way. I have still a lot of respect for them,” she said.
“I mean now they are out of the tournament, for me, it’s a relief.
“For them, it’s like a thing that they have to take with them in the future: ‘don’t start to talk about something what’s far away