Getting Ready with a Dutch Treat

The spring leading into the World Cup, or any spring for that matter, is a busy time on the soccer club scene. With the championships and relegation battles in full tilt, as well as those lucky squads in the Champions and Europa League, as well as other competitions world-wide.

With that in mind, FIFA only allows for one 'international fixture date', when national teams can assemble for friendly matches to evaluate their sides prior to the opening of World Cup training camps.

For the Americans, US Soccer was fortunate enough to secure a top-drawer fixture on this March 3rd date, with a match in Amsterdam against Holland, who had run through their qualification undefeated. Many of the Dutch side are on clubs amidst the world's elite, and such a match is indeed a 'treat'.

As both teams are "Nike teams", the colossal US manufacturer of shoes and sporting equipment used this date as the debut of both team's World Cup kits (that's uniforms, y'all). As this date coincided with Helen's and my schools' Spring Breaks, and given her best friend from high school now lives in Holland, we were there.

Amsterdam is a beautiful city, the 'Venice of northern Europe', cut and connected by canals and bridges. The weather too, was seasonally favorable, and actually, almost identical to what we left in Atlanta, except that it was snowing when we left home. Once there, though, it turned out perfect.

We hit ground the morning of the match, and Helen's friends came in from Enschede, on the German border, to sit with her in the stands, as I shot. The match itself was no more than OK, looking like a group of tired players in the middle of long club seasons. A dubious penalty was awarded the Netherlands on an Academy Award dive by Wesley Sneijder, and the hosts took a 1-0 lead into the half. The lead became 2-0 on a deflected shot that totally changed directions, eluding American goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The Dutch gave the US very little to work with in terms of space, but as you can see, they were quite friendly hosts on a number of occasions.

The match was also marred by the loss of midfielder Stuart Holden, to a broken leg, which would keep him out of his English club, Bolton Wanderers, until the final match of their league season. The recovery would finalize just in time, however, for Holden to return, and ultimately make the 23-man roster US coach Bob Bradley would take to South Africa.

The final result of the match would fall into some doubt, as the Americans finally came to life in the match's final 15 minutes. A wonderful header goal off a set piece by US defender Carlos Bocanegra, after he had just missed on two other similar opportunities, found Netherlands' net. Both Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore would have other near misses, but in the end, the 2-1 score line held. Nonetheless, a quality opponent and match, with a respectable result, are all one could ask for and preparations now shift to getting ready for jolly ol' you know who.....

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