The match was the eighth meeting between the United States and the Netherlands, and the first competitive fixture as all prior matches were friendlies. The sides first met in 1991, which the Netherlands won 4–3, but the U.S. won all six subsequent meetings, most recently a 3–1 win in September 2016. Route to the final United States The United States is the most successful team in women's football, having won three Women's World Cups in four previous final appearances and four Olympic gold medals. The team had never finished below third place in all eight editions of the World Cup. Jill Ellis was appointed as interim head coach of the team in 2014, following the firing of Tom Sermanni between major tournaments, and oversaw qualification for the 2015 World Cup using a core inherited from earlier cycles. The United States had reached their second consecutive final in 2015, playing in a rematch of the 2011 final in which they had lost to Japan. The Americans won 5–2, including a first-half hat-trick by Carli Lloyd, to secure their third Women's World Cup title—their first since 1999. Following an early quarter-final exit at the 2016 Olympics, Ellis adjusted the team's usual formation and adopted a 4–3–3 with an emphasis on faster play under the direction of new call-ups. The United States qualified for the 2019 Women's World Cup by winning the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship, outscoring their opponents 26–0 and defeating Canada in the final. The U.S. team, entering the tournament ranked first in the FIFA World Rankings, were drawn into Group F and opened their title defence with a 13–0 victory against Thailand, setting a new tournament record for largest margin of victory and goals in a match. Alex Morgan scored five goals, equalling a one-match record set by compatriot Michelle Akers in 1991, while four of her teammates scored their first World Cup goals in their debut at the tournament. The U.S. team were later criticised for celebrating their later goals during the match, with some media commentators and former players calling it disrespectful, but the celebrations were defended by other media commentators, the team's players and members of the opposing Thai bench. Ellis then fielded a squad of reserve players in a 3–0 win over debutants Chile, which included Carli Lloyd's pair of goals and a missed penalty kick. The U.S. closed out its group by winning 2–0 against