What Does the US Need to Do to Beat Holland?
The USA takes on Holland in the last 16 after securing a 1-0 over Iran. The USA barely scraped through the group and are now tasked with beating one of the biggest footballing nations in the competition. Sportsbooks have Holland down as the favorite but bettors get some good value by using a double chance bet.
Holland is a nation with a strong footballing tradition, helping nurture some of the greatest footballers to ever play the game. Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Marco Van Basten, Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit, Marc Overmaars - the list goes on, and it's an overwhelmingly large one.
The Dutch hold the unwanted record for having played in the most World Cup finals without winning the grand prize. They were runners-up in the 1974, 1978, and 2010 World Cups.
A Great Reset
The Dutch national team has had a torrid time since coming in third place in the 2014 edition of the World Cup. The team had to undergo a massive reset after some of their greatest-ever players retired from international football. The reset led to them missing out on the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Since then, some new great hopes have come to the front of the queue to be stars of the next generation - Frenkie De Jong, Coady Gakpo, Matthias De Ligt, Justin Timber, and Tyrell Malacia are all current and future stars for the national team.
Coupled with the experience of captain Van Dijk, Memphis Depay, and Steven Bergwijn - there is hope this side could do well in the competition.
The Dutch Campaign so far
Holland has made a decent yet underwhelming start to the competition - winning two and drawing one. Although, the numbers are slightly deceptive. They have looked short of energy, runners, and forwards. The side has a very strong spine, but they're lacking in game-changers.
There is an argument to be made for Coady Gakpo being that person, but he is far too young to have that kind of pressure placed on his shoulders, despite scoring in every game he has played in the tournament.
There is a great belief within the Dutch camp that this is a side that can grind out results, and that's what they will have to do if they are to stand any chance of winning. They will not out-attack teams as they're lacking the same quality forward options as a lot of the tournament favorites, so their campaign has to be built on defensive solidity.
The Underdogs
Like Holland, the US headed into this world cup, having missed out on the 2018 edition in Russia and with a point to prove. They hadn't missed a World Cup since 1990 but their ageing side needed a refresh.
They came into this tournament with the youngest squad in the competition, with a host of young stars looking to shine in their first World Cup. 25 of the 26-man squad had never played at one before. Whilst there may be little pressure and few expectations for the USA from the footballing world at large, the same cannot be said for back home.
USA fans have an almost unrealistic expectation of their side, in part probably because the US are so used to dominating every sport they take part in. This is a side with huge potential and talent, they have a host of players who are playing in the major leagues in Europe, and USA fans will be hoping they can step up and seize their moment.
It's been an underwhelming start to the tournament for the US, with one win and two draws - allowing them to scrape through in second place in the group. Although, one of those draws was against England - one of the favorites to win the competition.
Can They do it?
If the US are to beat Holland and make it to the quarter-finals, they will need their young midfield trident of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Yunus Musah to step up to the big time. There is no doubt that starman Christian Pulisic will be a serious threat when attacking, but in knockout football, it's often about not conceding, and the USA will need a big team performance to knock out a side of the Netherlands' quality.