Netherlands Vs USA, FIFA World Cup 2022 Round Of 16 Preview — Head-To-Head Record, Players To Watch Out For

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has lost none of his 10 World Cup games in charge (W7 D3), the outright most for a manager without ever losing in the competition.

Denzel Dumfries of Holland, Stefan de Vrij of Holland, Cody Gakpo of Holland, Holland condition trainer Rene Wormhoudt and Davy Klaassen of Holland during a training session of the Dutch national team at the Qatar University training complex. ( Image Source :Getty )

The United States got a gutsy win over Iran in the final game of their  2022 World Cup group stage. They will now face the Netherlands in the Round of 16. The Netherlands are coached by former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal and is currently ranked 8th by FIFA. They have not lost under Van Gaal since he got hired in September 2021 and going on with a streak of unbeaten  18 matches.

Facts about both teams ahead of the Round of 16:

1. Cody Gakpo could become the first Netherlands player to score in each of his first four World Cup appearances, with Christian Vieri the last European player to do so in 1998. Indeed, Gakpo could become the first Dutchman to score in four consecutive World Cup games overall.

2. Christian Pulisic has been directly involved in six goals in his last nine appearances for USA in all competitions (4 goals, 2 assists), having a hand in both of their goals so far at the 2022 World Cup (1 goal, 1 assist). Overall, he's scored twice as many goals (22) for USA than any other player in the squad.

3. Cody Gakpo put Netherlands 1-0 ahead in all three of their group games at this World Cup; the last player to score the opening goal in four separate matches at a single World Cup was David Villa for eventual winners Spain in 2010, while the only Dutch player to do so was Johan Neeskens in 1974.

4. Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal has lost none of his 10 World Cup games in charge (W7 D3), the outright most for a manager without ever losing in the competition. Only Felipe Scolari (12) and Mário Zagallo (11) had longer unbeaten starts as managers in World Cup history.

5. USA have lost three of their four round of 16 matches at the World Cup, winning only in 2002 against Mexico. They've lost all three of their knockout round games against European sides – 7-1 against Italy (1934), 1-0 against Germany (2002) and 2-1 against Belgium (2014).

6. The Netherlands have reached at least the quarter-final in four of their last five appearances at the World Cup, failing only in 2006 in this run, losing 2-1 to Portugal in the round of 16.

7. The Netherlands are unbeaten in all 10 of their World Cup matches under Louis van Gaal (W7 D3), keeping five clean sheets in their last six games at the finals, including shutouts in each of their last three in the knockout stages. The only side in World Cup history to keep four consecutive clean sheets in knockout games were Spain en route to winning the tournament in 2010.

8. USA are winless in their last 11 World Cup games against European nations (D6 L5) since beating Portugal 3-2 in 2002. Overall, USA have won just three of their 23 World Cup games against European sides (D7 L13), also beating Belgium in 1930 and England in 1950.

9. The Netherlands are unbeaten in their last 19 World Cup games against non-European nations (W13 D6) since a 3-2 loss to Brazil in the 1994 quarter-final. However, two of their six draws in this run have seen them eliminated on penalties (vs Brazil in 1998 and Argentina in 2014).

10. All five previous meetings between Netherlands and USA have been in friendlies – Oranje won the first four between 1998 and 2010, with USA winning the most recent encounter in 2015.