Netherlands Forward Rips USWNT ‘Big Mouths’ After World Cup Exit

A Netherlands forward took aim at the United States women's national team ahead of her team's match against Spain at Wellington Regional Stadium in the Women's World Cup quarterfinals.

The USWNT lost to Sweden on Sunday at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in the Round of 16, which was the earliest World Cup exit for the team in the program's history. Pundits went after the team during the tournament and after the loss with targeted attacks on the team's attitude in the tournament. And Lineth Beerensteyn piled on to those critiques.

"From the first moment I heard they were out, I was just like, 'Yes! Bye!' " the Juventus attacker told reporters on Thursday, per ESPN correspondent Joey Lynch. "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 reception of the USWNT always was going to be results-oriented, and that's a given due to the success of the program, especially coming into this year's tournament as two-time defending champions.

It might be slightly unfair to say the players were looking ahead since only they know what was said in the locker room, but the marketing around the team certainly painted the USWNT as a team to be feared.

Swedish star Kosovare Asllani defended the USWNT on Monday from criticism after her team knocked it out of the World Cup. But Beerensteyn was correct when she hoped the USWNT will learn from its loss.

No men's or women's team has ever completed a World Cup three-peat, but that isn't an excuse for poor play and this year's exit should serve as a stepping block for a comeback starting at the 2024 Paris Olympics.