All three goals were bad defensive breakdowns, with the third being the most egregious. Extremely disappointing effort. If Pulisic had been able to finish in the 2nd minute it would have totally taken the Netherlands out of their strategy of sitting back to try to keep the pace slow and attacking on the counter. Would have been a totally different game right from the outset. But alas, the US sucks at soccer as is customary .
But you gotta give it to Netherlands, their strategy worked.
Slower team against fast younger team. Average age on the U.S team is 25. Shorter players far more nimble.
Van Gaal clearly told his players to hang back.
The first two goals were a repeat. Player on the outside of the box while the defense focuses on the 2 players running in. 4 -5 man coverage on those two players and the one on the outside runs in the last minute and puts it in.
That's a good set piece. I barely saw any set pieces from the U.S it mostly focused on a nimble mid and forward positions.