USWNT vs. Netherlands Takeaways: Lynn Williams Dazzles and Alyssa Naeher Says Goodbye | OneFootball

The U.S. women's national team closed out their 2024 with a 2–1 friendly win over the Netherlands at Bingoal Stadium in The Hague.

The win maintained Emma Hayes's undefeated record, now 13-0-2, since taking over as head coach in June. It also served as the final match for two-time World Cup-winning goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, who will retire from international soccer after Tuesday night.

Despite the final scoreline, this was no walk in the park for the visitors. In fact, if anything, the final score flattered the Americans, who were vastly outclassed by the Dutch. In the opening 45 minutes, the Netherlands outshot the USA 14–1. At full-time, the shot count was 22–5 in favor of the Dutch.

"We got bullied and harassed," Hayes said after the match. "We were fortunate to go in 1–1 at halftime, the Dutch could've been two or three up ... you can still win football matches and not be at your best."

The USWNT was put under a barrage of pressure and chances early. Eventually, the defensive dam burst when Veerle Buurman opened the scoring for the Netherlands in the 15th minute. The 18-year-old leaped to score a towering header from a corner kick in her first-ever international goal.

After Lineth Beerensteyn hit the post and Jill Roord attempted six shots, forcing two big saves, the U.S. somehow drew level, completely against the run of play. The equalizer came just before the halftime whistle, with Tierna Davidson's long-ball free kick accidentally prodded in by Buurman for an own goal.

With the scoreline miraculously 1–1, and the Dutch having spurned many big chances, it was all to play for in the second half. And the USWNT made their hosts pay for not building up a bigger lead.

Hayes made five substitutions by the 65th minute, and it was one of those, Lynn Williams, who would find the magic moment to deliver the win for the U.S. in the 71st minute. The winning goal came about via superb work from Yazmeen Ryan on the USWNT's right, supplying the cross for Williams to stab home.

Once the U.S. had a lead, the mentality shifted again. Spaces became tight and the Netherlands struggled to break down an obstinate opponent. In those final 19 minutes, plus five minutes of stoppage time, the Dutch mustered just five attempts, with two of those shots forcing saves from an imperious Naeher.

Alyssa Naeher goes out on top

In her 115th and final appearance for the USWNT, captain for the night, Naeher brought her absolute best to a nervy match, making six saves. The 36-year-old may not have been able to get a 70th clean sheet but she made three spectacular saves to keep the U.S. in a contest they didn't deserve to be in.

The first two saves came from close-range efforts by Dutch midfielder Roord. Almost identical, they required Naeher to stay alert and collect fierce shots from 10 yards out.

Naeher's third save was impressive due to the limited reaction time. From eight yards out, Buurman hit a scintillating volley from a corner kick, and somehow Naeher was able to pounce to her left and swallow up the ball.

But it was Naeher's fourth save that was the highlight of the match. A perfectly executed counterattack by the Dutch resulted in Danielle van der Donk sliding in to score from point-blank range, only for Naeher to keep it out with an outstretched leg.

Jenna Nighswonger and midfield overwhelmed

It's hard to remember the last time the U.S. was dominated by an opponent like they were against the Netherlands. There certainly hasn't been a match quite like this one since Hayes took over in June.

USWNT left back Jenna Nighswonger was a weak spot the Netherlands exposed. During the opening 45 minutes, Dutch winger Romée Leuchter dribbled past Nighswonger like she wasn't there, and created half a dozen chances down the left side. Frustrated, Nighswonger committed a foul on Leuchter, which led to a chance off a free kick.

Hayes eventually removed Nighswonger at the break, relieving her from making any more errors.

Of course, Nighswonger wasn't the only culprit. Korbin Albert appeared entirely lost in the middle of the pitch. The 21-year-old midfielder committed two fouls as she chased shadows and looked unsure of who to mark. Albert was also the player tasked with marking Buurman on the corner kick the Netherlands scored off of in the 15th minute.

For the opening 65 minutes of the match, the entire midfield, including Sam Coffey and Lindsey Horan, had a night to forget. Communication and intensity were severely lacking in the vacuous central space where Holland's passing triangles thrived.

Hayes's bold moves changed the game

With Nighswonger and the U.S. looking outmatched, Hayes showed guile to make changes early. At halftime, Hayes removed the struggling Nighswonger for Emily Sonnett and took off the ineffective Jaedyn Shaw for the experienced Lynn Williams.

Then, in the 65th minute, a trio of substitutions helped tilt the match even more in the USWNT's favor. Just five minutes before the winning goal, Hayes helped freshen up the U.S. by bringing on Alyssa Thompson, Hal Hershfelt and Lily Yohannes.

Sonnett—a versatile player who predominantly features as a center back but can pop up as a fullback or defensive midfielder—helped shift the USWNT's overall shape to have more central defensive cover. It also allowed Emily Fox to win duels higher on the right side.

Williams is an elite presser of the ball and brought some much-needed presence and intensity in the final third, even when the U.S. was defending its 2–1 lead. She also came up big by scoring the winning goal with her only shot of the game.

"I wouldn't say this was our prettiest game of soccer," said Williams. "The biggest thing was matching their intensity, that was the shift that needed to happen. That's what I tried to do ... first half to second half, that changed."

In the middle of the pitch, Hershfelt and Yohannes had an instant impact breaking up play, getting numbers around the Netherlands and progressing the ball. While Thompson stretched the play on the left wing, which in turn allowed Ryan to get space on the right.