Dutch outclassed the USA tactically. The man-marking of the midfield was something I didn't expect. Doesn't seem like Berhalter saw it coming either. He got destroyed by Van Gaal in this game. Dutch also looked like the much wiser team and made their big moments count. The US didn't. The Dutch team is significantly older and plays at better clubs, so its to be expected.
While you can say that Van Gaal's strategy was partly to let the US have the ball, I don't think thats all there is to why the US had the better run of the play. They kept the Dutch in with their superior pressing and energy. They were technically at a similar level. I don't think anyone should be watching that game and think the Dutch are miles more talented. They aren't. It looked similar against England, although I think the gap in players to England is much larger. England often plays down to their competition. We controlled the game completely against Iran and Wales, two average sides, when you adjust for score effects, so thats a positive. We often don't know where we stand because teams within CONCACAF are farmers teams. Say what you will about Iran and Wales, but they qualified for the World Cup. They aren't bad teams.
US had the youngest side at the tournament. This is a team thats getting better, but anyone expecting them to be winning the World Cup was counting on a miracle. The teams that get to the later rounds and win this tournament are usually almost always the best teams, and US isn't one of those, although the side is improving.