Dutch World Cup hopes fade as Oranje struggle with finishing and injuries

The Dutch national team’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are unravelling in New York, where Oranje’s latest test ended in frustration on Monday. In a 60-minute training match against Uzbekistan’s second string at the Icahn Stadium, the Netherlands’ reserves were outplayed 2-1, compounding a string of missed opportunities in the senior side’s 0-0 draw with the same opponents. With just six days remaining before their opening group-stage clash, the squad’s lack of cutting edge has become impossible to ignore.

The senior team’s performance against Uzbekistan’s full-strength side was equally underwhelming. Despite dominating possession and creating multiple chances, Oranje failed to convert any of them. “It’s clear we need to make adjustments,” admitted a senior player after the match, echoing the assessment of head coach Ronald Koeman, who conceded that finishing remains the team’s Achilles’ heel . The pattern is familiar: in the 0-0 draw, Donyell Malen missed a gilt-edged opportunity in the first half, while Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons saw efforts saved by Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper. “We have too little scoring power,” lamented Koeman in a post-match interview .

The reserves’ defeat was even more damaging. Fielding a side stripped of key players—including injured goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and suspended midfielder Guus Til—the Netherlands struggled to impose themselves against a physically robust Uzbekistani B-team. The visitors took a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes, before a late consolation from Brian Brobbey, making his first start for the national team, offered a glimmer of hope. “This is not the team we want to be,” said one senior staff member, speaking on condition of anonymity .

The litany of setbacks extends beyond the pitch. The squad has been further weakened by the withdrawal of centre-back Jurriën Timber due to injury, while the red card shown to Til in the Uzbekistan match means he will miss the opening game against Chile on 15 June. The cumulative effect has left Oranje’s prospects looking increasingly precarious. “There’s almost nothing positive to report,” noted football journalists Rypke Bakker and Stan Wagtman in their latest *Afspelen* podcast, citing the “perfect storm” of absences and poor finishing .

With the World Cup looming, Koeman’s men must rediscover their composure. The next 48 hours will be critical as the final squad adjustments are made and the starting XI is confirmed. Yet the signs are ominous: Oranje’s inability to convert chances against modest opposition suggests that, unless a solution is found, their campaign in the United States may be over before it has truly begun.