Gomez: USA tactics naive in loss to Netherlands (1:46)Herc Gomez feels Louis van Gaal tactically outmanaged Gregg Berhalter in USA’s exit from the Qatar World Cup at the last 16 stage. (1:46)
AL RAYYAN, Qatar — At 71 years old and after a coaching career spanning more than 30 years, Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal probably won’t feel the need for vindication, but, if he did, he could quite easily point to the Dutch performance in their 3-1 round of 16 win over the United States on Saturday.
Van Gaal has made it clear that his only aim in Qatar is to win the World Cup and that set alongside that goal, nothing else really matters. But after a week during which he has faced criticism for what has been termed “boring” football, his team scored three goals — including one wonderfully worked team move — and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.
It was no surprise that in his postmatch news conference, Van Gaal was in a playful mood, at one point leaning to his side to plant a kiss on the cheek of man of the match Denzel Dumfries.
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