RIVERSIDE, Mo. — The Netherlands men’s national soccer team is facing a last-minute injury crisis just days ahead of their opening 2024 FIFA World Cup group stage match against Japan, after starting goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was sidelined from team training Wednesday due to a hip injury sustained in a pre-tournament friendly against Uzbekistan. The 23-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion shot-stopper, who is head coach Ronald Koeman’s undisputed first-choice between the posts, was forced out of Monday’s tune-up match in New York, where he was substituted by Mark Flekken in the side’s 2-1 victory. The Dutch squad also has third goalkeeper Robin Roefs included in their 26-man World Cup roster as a backup option.
Verbruggen’s availability for Sunday’s Dallas kickoff against Japan remains uncertain as the team monitors his recovery day by day. Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s light 90-minute session, held at the training facility of NWSL side Kansas City Current, Koeman offered a cautiously optimistic update: “We have to wait. We think (Verbruggen) can reach the match on Sunday, but day-by-day we have to wait for that. The rest of the boys are physically OK.”
This latest injury scare adds to a string of selection blows for the Dutch side, which has reached three World Cup finals in its history but has never lifted the coveted trophy. Earlier this month, the team confirmed star defender Jurrien Timber would miss the entire tournament after suffering a groin injury. The 24-year-old Arsenal center-back had played 55 minutes in the 2024 Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain just over a week before his withdrawal, and was replaced in the roster by Lutsharel Geertruida of Sunderland. Timber’s injury followed an earlier blow: top playmaker Xavi Simons was ruled out after tearing the ACL in his right knee during a Premier League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur, requiring urgent surgery last month.
After wrapping up their friendly against Uzbekistan in New York, the Netherlands traveled to their pre-tournament base camp in Riverside, Missouri, where extreme summer heat has added an extra challenge for the squad. Koeman called off Tuesday’s scheduled full training session as heat indexes neared 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and Wednesday’s open training was largely limited to low-intensity 3-on-3 footvolley, a hybrid game that allows players to only use their feet and heads to touch the ball. Even with the adjusted schedule, midday temperatures remained brutally hot for the squad.
Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk noted that while the hot, humid conditions are demanding, the challenge is equal for all teams competing in the tournament. The Liverpool center-back drew on his experience of preseason tours across Asia and the United States with his club, where similar high temperatures are common. “Different places in Asia, it was similar type of temperatures. It was very humid,” van Dijk said. “But it’s going to be the same for every team. You have to adapt quickly, and you also have to adapt in games as well. … We’ll be ready.”
The Netherlands’ 2024 World Cup campaign kicks off Sunday against Japan in Dallas, with subsequent group stage matches against Sweden on June 20 and Tunisia on June 25 as they chase their first ever World Cup title.