The US women’s national team Are Wednesday evening at the Wellington Regional Stadium in New Zealand against the Netherlands . The match is the second of three group matches for the USA in their pursuit of a fifth World Cup title. No team has ever achieved three Cups and the USWNT is in a prime position to be the first to do so. They will have to go through the group, where all games take place in New Zealand And they include a final rematch of 2019 against the Netherlands.
The Americans start matchday two as leaders of Group E after an opening day victory against Vietnam. The USWNT defeated the Golden Star Women Warriors 3-0 on Friday. The Netherlands beat Portugal 1-0 on Sunday. Their match day two fixture is considered a battle for the top spot in the group.
Here’s how to watch the match and what you need to know:
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- Date: Wednesday 26 July | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Place: Wellington Regional Stadium — Wellington, New Zealand
- TV: Fox | Live stream: Fox Sports app And fubo (Try for free)
- Chances: US: -145; Draw: +250; Netherlands: +400 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
USWNT group schedule
All times Eastern
Friday July 21
US 3, Vietnam 0
Wednesday July 26
USWNT vs. Netherlands, 9 p.m. — Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington
Tuesday, August 1
USWNT vs. Portugal, 3 hours – Eden Park, Auckland
Predicted starting eleven
USWNT XI: Naeher; Dunn, Girma, Ertz, Vos; Horan, Sullivan, Lavelle; Smith, Morgan, Williams
Will the coaching staff use the main play of the group to record some rotation? The answer is maybe. Trinity Rodman made some heavy contact that ended in a rough landing on her back in the first game. The young talent is unfortunately no stranger to old issues, but a turnaround from Friday to Wednesday could be just enough time for her to make an impact. Still, there is a lot of depth among the forwards to turn things around, which means we could see a start for Lynn Williams.
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Storylines
USWNT: The Stars and Stripes are one step closer to the knockout rounds. They dominated almost every game statistic against Vietnam in their 3-0 victory, but now they have their biggest test of the group against Vietnam. Eight of the team’s 14 World Cup debutants earned their first tournament minutes, and Sophia Smith earned player of the match honors with two goals and one assist.
If the group expects the US to score their goals against debuting teams, then their game against the Netherlands is a chance for the defense to shine. The midfield faces the biggest challenge of the game, and Andi Sullivan and Lindsey Horan will need to take the lead as Julie Ertz returns to center stage with back-to-back starts.
The Netherlands: The Dutch managed a narrow victory against Portugal to open the group stage, but have an early chance to play spoiler against tournament favorites USA. They don’t have a long history of participating in the World Cup — this is their third tournament — and they’ve never missed the knockout rounds. They were runners-up of the 2019 World Cup, losing 2-0 to the USA in the final.
They have had a brief build-up with manager Andries Jonker, who was appointed in 2022 in response to the country’s poor performance at the European Championships under Mark Parsons. The Dutch are without star striker Vivianne Miedema with an ACL injury, but the team can still score in the last third with Jill Roord and on set pieces. Danielle van de Donk will cause problems in midfield, fight to dispossess, and she can be an additional option between channels in attack. Victoria Pelova is an asset to the team on the right as a winger or full-back and can play quickly out of tight spaces.
USWNT vs. Netherlands forecast
This will be the game that can decide the group and knockout round path. The USWNT will want to settle things, so that means on both sides of the ball with a chance for the defenders to be the stars. Choose: USWNT 2, Netherlands 0.