RIVERSIDE, Mo. (AP) — Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen was held out of training Wednesday, two days after hurting his hip in a collision during a tune-up match with Uzbekistan, leaving his status in question for the team's World Cup opener against Japan this weekend.
The 23-year-old Verbruggen is the first-choice goalkeeper for Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman. The Brighton standout was replaced by Mark Flekken in the 2-1 win over Uzbekistan, while Robin Roefs also is on the World Cup roster.
The Netherlands begins pursuit of its first World Cup title on Sunday in Dallas. The Dutch follow their match against Japan with group games against Sweden on June 20 and Tunisia on June 25.
“We have to wait. We think (Verbruggen) can reach the match on Sunday, but day-by-day we have to wait for that,” Koeman said after a light, 90-minute workout at the training home of the NWSL club Kansas City Current. “The rest of the boys are physically OK.”
That should come as a relief to the Netherlands, which has reached three World Cup finals but has never won the tournament.
On Monday, the team announced Jurrien Timber had been ruled out because of a groin injury, even though the 24-year-old Arsenal defender had played 55 minutes in the Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain just over a week ago.
Timber was replaced on the roster by Lutsharel Geertruida, who plays for Sunderland.
Timber's injury came after the Netherlands learned it would be without Xavi Simmons, one of its top playmakers. Simmons had surgery last month after tearing the ACL in his right knee in a Premier League match for Tottenham.
The Netherlands flew to its World Cup base camp in Kansas City, Missouri, after its match against Uzbekistan on Monday in New York. Koeman canceled a training session Tuesday, in part because of heat indexes that were approaching triple digits, and his squad mostly played 3-on-3 footvolley — a volleyball-like exercise using feet and heads only — during its open training session Wednesday.
It was still brutally hot under the midday sun, however.
Asked whether he was accustomed to practicing in such weather, Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk thought back to preseason tours that his clubs have taken to the U.S. over the years. Most of those matches take place in late July and early August.
“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."
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
From left to right, Wim Jonk, Edwin Koeman, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Dutch coach Ronald Koeman during the last practice before the World Cup soccer in Zeist, Netherlands, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/ Patrick Post)
FILE - Netherlands'players, goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, and Cody Gakpo, rear row from left, and Tijjani Reijnders, Jurrien Timber, Xavi Simons, Memphis Depay and Donyell Malen, front row from left, pose for a team photo prior to a World Cup 2026 group G qualifying soccer match between Netherlands and Lithuania in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Brian Flores is back for a fourth season as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, having signed a new contract to continue his direction of what has been one of the best-performing units in the NFL since his arrival.
This year will present another challenge for one of the highest-paid assistant coaches in the league, who is in charge of a defense that got significantly younger.
Missing this week during minicamp are four of the top 12 most-used players from last season: standout edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, veteran defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, and stalwart safety Harrison Smith.
Neither Allen nor Hargrave made the impact the Vikings envisioned in their one-and-done stints. But the cost-cutting trade of Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles has left a big void. And while the door for Smith to return for a 15th year in Minnesota remains open, the coaching staff must have a contingency plan for his absence.
“This group in 2026 is going to be very different than 2025 and 2024 and 2023 and every other year before that, so that’s just our league," Flores said. “You always miss guys and you’d always love to have him back, and I’ve told him that many times already, but at the same time we’ve got a good group. We’re working hard and doing a lot of really good things.”
Smith could wind up waiting until after training camp to decide, and the Vikings sound more than fine with that uncertainty.
“It could be an ongoing thing, how our season goes and how he views it and ultimately what that looks like,” head coach Kevin O'Connell said. “But he’s earned the respect of everybody in this building to have that type of dialogue and communication.”
Jay Ward, who started five games down the stretch last year, will continue to see his playing time at safety ramp up regardless of whether Smith plays in 2026. Dallas Turner will enter his third season as a full-time starter in place of Greenard.
Jalen Redmond, who was one of the team's breakout players in 2025, will anchor the interior with increasing roles for 2025 fifth-round draft pick Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, second-year player Elijah Williams and 2024 seventh-round draft pick Levi Drake Rodriguez. Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange are rookie defensive linemen with high ceilings, among the four defensive players the Vikings drafted over the first three rounds.
“This is a unique system. It’s a demanding system. We’ve got high standards, high expectations. For some people, it’s a lot. There’s stress and anxiety. But also what I want our guys to know is it’s definitely an opportunity for growth,” Flores said.
He added: “The guys, they’ve been fantastic from a chemistry standpoint, from a vibe, from an energy standpoint, a willingness to work and learn.”
Flores recently became the first Vikings winner of the George Halas Award, which has been presented annually by the Professional Football Writers of America since 1969 to an NFL player, coach or staffer who overcomes the most adversity to succeed.
More than four years ago, Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the league and three individual teams after he was fired by the Miami Dolphins following three seasons as their head coach. Last month, the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the case, removing the final roadblock toward a trial. The NFL had appealed to have its own arbitration process handle the lawsuit rather than in open court in New York.
Flores interviewed in 2025 with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets for their head coach openings. This year, he was a finalist with the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
When asked after practice on Tuesday about his award and his case, Flores declined to address the latter.
“It’s an honor to be recognized that way,” Flores said. “I certainly didn’t get there myself. I'm very fortunate to be in this great organization.”
This story has been corrected to show that Banks' first name is Caleb, not Elijah.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Domonique Orange (97) works out during an NFL football practice Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Vikings safety Joshua Metellus (44) works out during an NFL football practice Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
