Bulls Abroad: Recap - United States U23s 3-1 Netherlands

The United States U23s rebounded to beat the Netherlands, 3-1, after dropping their first match in the Toulon Tournament to France.

(It's important to note that the rules for the Toulon Tournament are a little different than the usual FIFA Rules of the Game. The halves are 40 minutes each, and each team can make four outfield player subs as well as substituting the keeper.)

The Americans had a rocky start after the Dutch began the match dominating possession. Brahim Darri scored the opener, giving the Netherlands a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute. A lot of blame was attributed to American keeper Cody Cropper who had his hands around the ball but let it slip out.

The US missed an opportunity equalize when Jordan Morris passed the ball across the inside of the box but Jerome Kiesewetter was too fast and ran in front of the passing channel. However, Kiesewetter redeemed himself with an equalizer in the 19th minute. It was a powerful shot that thread the needle between a Dutch defender and the near post.

Julian Green was instrumental in the next two goals: Jordan Morris headed Green's deflected free-kick down to Alonso Hernandez who slotted the ball away in the 24th minute. At the beginning of the second half, the US won a corner, and Green picked out Will Packwood who headed the ball into the back of the net.

Red Bulls Academy product Dan Metzger entered the game in the 64th minute of the game for Hernandez. At this point, with 16 minutes left in the game, Coach Herzog was looking to retain the lead, as the Dutch took control of the momentum and pressed forward.

The Red Bulls II midfielder had a largely uneventful game as the focus of the US was just to keep the Dutch attack at bay. A couple of semi-productive sequences were conducted through the midfield, but none of the substitutes stood out. However, in the 80th minute, a piercing ball was sent into the attacking third, but Metzger was clinical in clearing it out.

Although the match was not a very exciting one for the Red Bulls player, he did get some playing time. As long as Metzger continues to get time, get on the ball, and get exposed to pressure, he will continue to develop which benefits the Red Bulls and hopefully the senior national team.

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Starting Lineup: Cody Cropper, Boyd Okwuonu, Shane O’Neill, William Packwood, Dillion Serna, Benji Joya, Jordan Morris, Alonso Hernancez, Fatai Alashe, Julian Green, Jerome Kiesewetter

Coach: Andi Herzog