Women’s World Cup LIVE: USA vs Netherlands live updates as Dutch lead 1-0

Play has been paused for a moment, as the Dutch squad signalled for the trainers to take a look at Stefanie van der Gragt.

The brief reprieve was a welcome one for the US.

The Dutch have been mixing solid defence and quick counterattacks to get the better of the Stars and Stripes so far.

The US has a roster full of lethal scorers, but the Dutch defence has been doing a solid job so far.

They just fended off a long set piece from the US, then a corner, where the ball bounced dangerously around the box before the Oranje were able to clear.

Against the early run of play, the Netherlands are up 1-0.

Here’s how they scored their first goal.

The Netherlands have jumped up to an early lead, thanks to a cool finish inside the box from midfielder Jill Roord.

She was in prime position for a strike after Lieke Martens cut through the US backfield.

The US attack is picking up steam.

After a nifty bit of footwork in midfield, Crystal Dunn played a ball across the box, threading it past two Dutch defenders to find Alex Morgan at the right far post, who just couldn’t reach the pass.

One of the biggest group stage games of the Women’s World Cup is now under way.

The Dutch are pressing early and the US began having to build out of their own half.

We’re just moments away from the kickoff of today’s match between the Netherlands and the United States.

Forecasts suggested there was a slight chance of rain, but right now the sun is shining down on the two top teams.

US Women’s National Team (USWNT) striker Trinity Rodman is seeking to introduce herself on the international stage in Australia and New Zealand after making swift progress at domestic level playing for Washington Spirit, scoring 13 goals in 47 appearances since making her debut in 2021.

She will also be seeking to emerge from the long shadow cast by her famous father, Dennis Rodman, one of basketball’s greatest and most eccentric stars who was pivotal to the success of the “Bad Boy”-era Detroit Pistons and to Michael Jordan’s dominant Chicago Bulls team of the 1990s.

The star has largely been a remote figure in his daughter’s life as she was raised by her mother Michelle Moyer but Rodman has said she learned the importance of being reactive from watching clips of his performances on the court.

“Even if he wasn’t the first guy under the basket or he was next to Shaq [O’Neal], who was way bigger, way taller, he was going to get the rebound,” she said of her father recently.

Joe Sommerlad has the story.

As the USA and Netherlands take the pitch in Wellington today, both teams will surely be thinking about their 2019 World Cup final match against each other.

Catch up on that historic tie with our report from the big match, which the Americans won 2-0.

Megan Rapinoe, 38, burst onto the global stage at the 2011 World Cup in Germany when she scored a screamer against Colombia and celebrated by grabbing an on-field microphone placed near the corner flag and crooning Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA”. A star was born.

Since then, the iconic neon-haired winger has won gold at the London 2012 Olympics, bronze at the Tokyo 2020 games and both the 2015 and 2019 FIFA World Cups as an integral part of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT).

She was named player of the tournament at her last World Cup in France four years ago after scoring six – including a spotkick in the final against the Netherlands – and picked up both the Golden Boot and that year’s Ballon d’Or Feminin.