Archive: Netherlands
Morning Kick-About
There are four days till the first game, and it's time to kick it into a higher gear ... we'll start the day with the kick-about: - Friendlies that made news: Brazil 4, New Zealand 0: Saw some highlights on Sky (thanks to Fox Soccer Channel); Adriano's goal was quite nice. Kaka scored late on a long run that made you wonder how hard New Zealand was trying at that point. Australia 1, Netherlands 1: Again, saw some highlights. Good for Australia: GK Mark Schwarzer made some gigantic saves, and hey, it's a very respectable result. Bad for Holland: three Dutch players were hurt in the game; MF Wesley Sneijder seems to be worst off. "It's like an episode of M.A.S.H.," said Holland Coach Marco van Basten said. "It was some sight in the dressing room. But I don't regret the match because it is good to play physical football."...
By Jon DeNunzio | June 5, 2006; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Late Lunchtime Roundup
Hmmmm, where to start? I need to catch up ... - Germany F Michael Ballack sounds less than supremely confident. "Everyone must be aware that a surprise is possible with this young team - but also an early exit," Ballack said in SportBild magazine. - Australia, Sweden and Ecuador choose their teams. - Two players getting teased with "Hey, you still might make the team" talk: Holland MF Edgar Davids and England D Ledley King. - Reported in a comment yesterday -- Italy F Christian Vieri is out. Is it possible his last touch in a World Cup match was putting an exceedingly easy chance over the bar vs. South Korea? Or maybe I'm remembering it wrong....
By Jon DeNunzio | May 10, 2006; 01:45 PM ET | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Mid-Afternoon Kick-About
Other notes: - Netherlands Coach Marco van Basten picked a 28-player provisional squad. Yet another veteran was cut loose -- Edgar Davids (Roy Makaay and Clarence Seedorf already had been left out). - Ukraine/AC Milan super-striker Andrei Shevchenko will miss 25 days with a knee injury. If the 25 days starts today, that means he's back in action on June 1. The Ukraine has a friendly vs. Italy scheduled for June 2, and opens Group H play vs. Spain on June 14. - Germany/Dortmund MF Sebastian Kehl may miss the World Cup with an ankle injury -- possible ligament tear. - U.S. defender Cory Gibbs signs with Charlton in the Prem. He played with Feyenoord this season. According to Gibbs, a number of other Premiership clubs, including UEFA Cup finalists Middlesbrough and Bolton, were also interested in the left-sided player who made his full international debut in 2003. - It's...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 8, 2006; 01:43 PM ET | Comments (13) | TrackBack (0)
Morning Kick-About
Some items of interest: - Angola's Gilberto is out -- snapped Achilles' tendon (that has to hurt). "Gilberto was a regular for his country in last year's qualifying campaign and also helped his club to win the 2005 African Champions League." - Iran's coach admits his team is, at this point, not well prepared for Germany. But it's not because of the geopolitical tension, he swears. - Some doubts persist about Tim Cahill's recovery. Cahill plays for Everton and, he hopes, Australia this summer. - Brazil F Oliveira is holding out hope he can still land a spot on the team. Best part (emphasis mine): Yet even if he were fully fit, the task would be far from easy, facing as he does fierce competition from players such as Fred of French champions Lyon and Nilmar of Corinthians. - Poland loses a friendly to Lithuania. Despite the fact that a...
By Jon DeNunzio | May 4, 2006; 09:55 AM ET | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)
Who Do You Like in Group C?
Okay, time to make some more picks -- let's look at Group C. Here's The Post's group analysis and the team profiles (written the day of the draw). And, a team-by-team look from the BBC: Argentina Ivory Coast Netherlands Serbia and Montenegro What's your predicted order of finish? I think something weird is going to happen here, how about: 1. Argentina 2. Serbia 3. Ivory Coast 4. Netherlands Yeah, I'll go with that. Argentina makes up for bad 2002, Serbia surprises an inexperienced Dutch team and Ivory Coast finds a way to get a few points and not finish last in the group ... Your turn....
By Jon DeNunzio | April 28, 2006; 02:05 PM ET | Comments (36) | TrackBack (0)
Zidane Makes It Official
Here's rambling post for those of you not glued to ESPN2 at the moment. - Zizou makes it official. This quote seems remarkably frank for a pro athlete, by American standards at least: 'In the last two years the results have eluded us [Real Madrid]. When you don't reach your goals you ask yourself questions. I know I can't do better than what I have already done and at my age, it's getting more and more difficult. I didn't want to experience another year like the ones I've been through.' If he were American, he would be saying "I want to spend more time with my family." - England Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, is, how you say, cautiously optimistic? - Will soccer get kicked out of the Olympics? This doping/WADA/FIFA stuff started coming out in stories like this yesterday. Today, Sepp Blatter reacts. - Some Netherlands news you may have seen...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 25, 2006; 03:45 PM ET | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Do You Kalou?
Surprisingly, this is my first post on the Dutch team. FIFAWorldCup.com has an interesting story up on Salomon Kalou, an Ivory Coast-born striker who plays for Feeyenord in Holland and wanted to play for the national team there. [Immigraation Minister Rita ] Verdonk ruled last month that Kalou did not fulfil the criteria for fast-track citizenship and would have to retake a Dutch language and culture test, which he has failed once. ...In her judgment, Verdonk said he had lived in the country for only three years, short of the five-year term normally required to qualify for a Dutch passport. A previous report said Kalou is seeking to overturn that decision on appeal, although it may be too late for him to get a spot on the Dutch team. The current story is about Kalou's attempt to get a TV ad off the air that features an actor who looks...
By Jon DeNunzio | April 12, 2006; 03:47 PM ET | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
