A new rivalry has formed in women’s soccer and it’s between the Netherlands and the United States. Former USWNT star Sydney Leroux fanned the flames of the newborn clash on Twitter Thursday after the Dutch fell 2-1 to Spain in the Women's World Cup quarterfinals.
To provide some context, Netherlands’ forward Lineth Beerensteyn was vocal about her pleasure in seeing the USWNT get eliminated in the Round of 16. Beerensteyn said she didn’t like the “big mouths” from the Americans.
While she did plenty of talking, she failed to do the walking against Spain as she missed a golden chance for the Dutch.
LINETH BEERENSTEYN WAS THIS CLOSE FOR NETHERLANDS pic.twitter.com/U59nV96OaC
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 11, 2023
The Netherlands did well to force the game into extra time, but ultimately La Roja came out victorious.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SPAIN ADVANCES TO THE FIFA WOMEN'S WORLD CUP SEMIFINALS pic.twitter.com/bnC4CKg12x
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 11, 2023
Leroux was immediately on the Twitter scene to clap back at Beerensteyn’s comments.
One thing we’ve learned is wait to talk shit until after you’re on the podium with a gold medal because now… you’re bye too.
— Sydney Leroux (@sydneyleroux) August 11, 2023
Sydney Leroux clapped back at Lineth Beerensteyn pic.twitter.com/tZojH1zoU9
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 11, 2023
Instant karma is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
The USWNT and Netherlands played each other in the group stage and tied 1-1. Lindsey Horan and her Lyon teammate Danielle van de Donk had an epic battle during that game. It was a feisty 90 minutes between the two now eliminated sides.
Overall it was an incredibly disappointing World Cup for the U.S. women so it’s nice to finally celebrate something with Leroux’s tweet.
The Round of 16 exit to Sweden goes down as the worst performance at a World Cup in USWNT history. At least the Dutch didn’t win though.
At this point I personally am rooting for Sweden. If the Swedes — who beat high-flying Japan in the quarterfinals — win it all then that will make the USWNT’s loss on penalty kicks look infinitely more respectable.
Another reason to root for the Scandinavian side is because of the nice words from Swedish midfielder Kosovare Asllani about the USWNT. She had a fiery response when asked about the future of the U.S. women.
“Don’t talk shit about the American team,” Asllani said. “They will come back for sure, they have so much quality on their team. This defeat will not take them down.”
