Netherlands keeper Verbruggen day-to-day before World Cup opener

The Netherlands faces a potential goalkeeping crisis days before its 2026 World Cup opener, with first-choice goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen nursing a hip injury. Head coach Ronald Koeman confirmed the 23-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion player is considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's match against Japan in Dallas.

Verbruggen sustained the injury during a 2-1 friendly victory over Uzbekistan on Monday, June 9, in New York. He was substituted in the 67th minute following a collision and replaced by Bayer Leverkusen's Mark Flekken. The Dutch squad subsequently traveled to its World Cup base camp in Kansas City, Missouri, where Verbruggen was held out of the team's first training session on Wednesday, June 10. He worked separately with medical staff.

Koeman described the issue as a bruise and expressed cautious optimism about Verbruggen's availability. "We have to wait and see and hope that he can be involved on Sunday," Koeman told reporters. "It's only a bruise, so we don't know yet how things will be on Sunday. We are hopeful, but we'll have to see how far along he actually is." He added that a final decision on who will start in goal will be made following discussions with the...