National coach Sarina Wiegman of the Orange Women is not on the bench in Breda on Friday evening during the friendly international match against the United States. The fifty-year-old Hague misses the game due to private circumstances. Central defender Stefanie van der Gragt is also missing.
National coach Sarina Wiegman of the Orange Women is not on the bench in Breda on Friday evening during the friendly international match against the United States. The fifty-year-old Hague misses the game due to private circumstances. Central defender Stefanie van der Gragt is also missing.
Wiegman’s place in the Rat Verlegh Stadium is taken over by Arjan Veurink. The 34-year-old Ommenaar normally acts as an assistant national coach.
It is still unclear whether Wiegman will take a seat on the bench again at the final European Championship qualifying match with Kosovo next Tuesday. The Orange women have already qualified for the European Championship, which will be held in England in mid-2022.
Defender Van der Gragt is missing from the Orange line-up, because she is not fit enough. The Dutch defense consists of Lynn Wilms, Dominique Janssen, Aniek Nouwen and Merel van Dongen. Due to the absence of Van der Gragt, Caitlin Dijkstra was added to the Orange selection at the last minute. Ajax’s defender has not been selected before.
In midfield, the Orange starts with the familiar names Jackie Groenen, Sherida Spitse and Daniëlle van de Donk, but there is a surprise in the front. Jill Roord, normally midfielder, starts in the point as a replacement for the injured Vivianne Miedema. Lineth Beerensteyn and Lieke Martens are on the wings.
The Netherlands is going for the first victory over the US in 24 years
The friendly against the US is a reprise of last year’s World Cup final in Lyon. The Orange Women then lost 2-0 to the American star formation, which won the second world title in a row.
No fewer than nine players of the American basic formation of the final battle will start in Breda. Alex Morgan, who gave birth to a daughter in May, is sitting on the couch and Megan Rapinoe is injured.
The Netherlands can book the first victory over the US in 24 years on Friday. In 1996, the Orange Women won for the last time against the current world champion during an exhibition game in San Diego (1-3). After that, it was lost seven times to the US.
The match between the Netherlands and the US starts on Friday at 6.45 p.m. in the Rat Verlegh Stadium and is led by Romanian referee Iulia Demetrescu. The game can be followed on NU.nl via a livestream and a live blog.
Orange line-up: Van Veenendaal; Wilms, Nouwen, Janssen, Van Dongen; Spitse, Van de Donk, Greens; Beerensteyn, Roord, Martens
US lineup: Naeher; Mewis, Sauerbrunn, O’Hara, Williams, Dahlkemper, Ertz, Lavelle, Heath, Dunn, Press
