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Why Jesús Ferreira starting for the U.S. vs. Netherlands is a curious choice
DOHA, Qatar — United States men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter made a surprising change to his starting lineup for Saturday’s World Cup round of 16 clash with the Netherlands (10 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), bringing in forward Jesús Ferreira for his first action of the tournament.
Meanwhile, as expected, Christian Pulisic was listed among the starters, having made a recovery from the pelvic contusion injury that briefly cast some doubt over his availability.
Berhalter made the switch to Ferreira — the third pure striker on the roster — against a Netherlands defense that has conceded only once in the tournament.
The selection was a surprise. Ferreira, who plays for FC Dallas in MLS, kicked his heels on the bench throughout the group stage.
The 5-foot-8 Ferreira is a curious choice over towering Haji Wright to go up against mammoth Dutch center back Virgil van Dijk, one of the best defenders in the world. But Ferreira isn’t a typical central striker; adept at dropping back into the midfield and combining with teammates as attacking moves build up, he’ll operate almost as an attacking midfielder.
Wright started against a similar central defender against England — Harry Maguire — and came on against Team Melli in place of the injured Josh Sargent, who did not dress for the match.
Ferreira scored 18 goals for FCD last season, tied for the most among American players in MLS, but he hasn’t played since Dallas was eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs on Oct. 24.
There was still no place for Gio Reyna, as the young Borussia Dortmund forward had to be content with a place on the bench once more.
At the back Walker Zimmerman was reintroduced after being replaced by Cameron Carter-Vickers for the Iran game, with the backline, also featuring 35-year-old Tim Ream, having been one of the American strong suits during the World Cup so far.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal named an unchanged lineup from his team’s final group game, a 2-0 victory over host nation Qatar.
That was a small surprise, given that so many members of his squad had been suffering "flu symptoms" that he cancelled a Thursday training session.
Read more from the World Cup:
- Dutch-born Sergiño Dest key for USMNT against Netherlands
- Gregg Berhalter on Christian Pulisic playing Saturday: ‘Looks pretty good’
- USMNT team fans should believe — because this team certainly does
- Christian Pulisic once again shouldering the load for young U.S. team
- ‘More to come’: U.S. projecting confidence heading into Netherlands match
- World Cup 2022 odds: Lines for remaining teams to win in Qatar
- Christian Pulisic injury update: Doing ‘everything in my power’ to play Saturday
- Why USMNT captain Tyler Adams is the ideal leader for Gregg Berhalter's team
- USA's Tim Weah talks World Cup goal, beating Iran: ‘Moment of my life’
- World Cup Power Rankings: USA cracks top 10, Brazil is No. 1
- Scouting USMNT's next World Cup foe: Are Dutch vulnerable?
- USMNT finding its identity as contender at just right time
- World Cup Group Scenarios: What does each team need to advance?
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Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. You can subscribe to the daily newsletter here.
