Fans of the U.S. women’s national team didn’t have to wait long for Netherlands forward Lineth Beerensteyn to get her comeuppance. Less than 24 hours after telling the world that her reaction to the USWNT being knocked out of the Women’s World Cup by Sweden was “Yes! Bye!” she, too, had been eliminated from the tournament.
The Dutch were knocked out in the quarterfinals by Spain on Friday, falling 2-1 in extra-time, with Beerensteyn failing to convert a golden opportunity moments before Salma Paralluelo netted the 111th-minute winner for La Roja.
Sydney Leroux, who last represented the U.S. in 2017 after winning the 2015 World Cup and Olympic Gold in 2012, wasted no time in reminding the Netherlands’ No. 7 that she’d spoken too soon.
“One thing we’ve learned is wait to talk s— until after you’re on the podium with a gold medal because now … you’re bye too,” the 33-year-old Angel City FC forward tweeted shortly after Spain advanced to the semifinals.
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The Netherlands and U.S. played out an intense 1-1 draw in the group stage last month. Beerensteyn had taken issue with the attitude and comments of some American players.
“From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, ‘Yes! Bye!” the Juventus attacker told reporters on Thursday. “From the start of the tournament, they had really big mouths and were already talking about the final.
“I was thinking you first have to show it on the pitch before you talk [big]. I’m not being rude in that way, I still have a lot of respect for them, but now they’re out of the tournament, and for me, it’s a relief, and for them, it’s something they will have to take with them in the future.
“Don’t start to talk about something that is far away. I hope they will learn from that.”
The USWNT’s round-of-16 exit is the worst World Cup performance in their history. The Dutch were runners-up to the U.S. in the 2019 edition, but have now failed to advance past the quarterfinals in any major tournament since (2021 Olympics, 2022 Euros, 2023 World Cup).
