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US eliminated from World Cup, Netherlands advances

The U.S. men’s national soccer team lost its World Cup match Saturday 3-1 against the Netherlands, ending its time in Qatar after reaching the round of 16.

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After the match, U.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter praised his team for the strides they’ve made in recent years, saying he was “really proud.”

“We made progress, but on this particular night we came up short,” he said.

The Americans put heavy pressure on the Dutch team early on Saturday, but could not stop Memphis Depay from scoring the Netherlands’ first goal around 10 minutes in.

A minute into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Dutch player Daley Blind scored a second goal for the team.

The Americans fought throughout the second half to equalize the score. At around 76 minutes, Haji Wright earned the U.S. team its first goal.

The Netherlands responded quickly, with Denzel Dumfries scoring the Dutch team’s third goal in the 81st minute. The goal clinched the win for the Dutch.

Saturday’s loss comes after the U.S. beat Iran 1-0 on Tuesday to earn a place in the round of 16. The team drew its first two matches — first against Wales (1-1) and then against England (0-0) — during group stage play.

The Netherlands topped Senegal and Qatar and tied Ecuador to reach the round of 16. The group previously reached the World Cup finals three times.

The Dutch will face the winner of Saturday’s match between Argentina and Australia in the World Cup’s quarter finals.

Typically, the World Cup is held in the summer months. However, organizers said the heat in Qatar prompted them to instead hold this year’s competition in the winter.

The final game of the tournament is scheduled to be played Dec. 18.