How good is the Dutch team really? I mean they beat the DR twice, I'm pretty sure the DR players didn't underestimate the Dutch the second game no?
Overall the DR team is prolly better, you cant judge by just 2 games. But we're moving on, and they are not
What a great story. I wish I could have seen their second game against the DR but unfortunately it wasnt on cable (dont think anyone with half a brain would have thought Holland would have been a tv draw). Heres hoping theyll be joining the US from pool 2 for a trip to the final round in LA. Two things are going to make this a big time event for Americans: The US team taking this seriously (check) and seeing a cinderella run (looks like we have that right now).
Well Dutch is the offical language in the Dutch Antilles along with Papiamentu. They will all have been taught in Dutch at primary school at least but I went to university with a couple of people from the Dutch antilles and they all struggle with the Dutch language in my experience. Half the squad isn't actually from the Dutch Antilles though, I just researched it. The majority play in the Dutch league, the Dutch baseball league teams Kinheim and Neptunus have supplied the most players. The full squad with their club and number of international games prior to the Classic between brackets: Pitchers (13): David Bergman (Corendon Kinheim, 30 interlands), Leon Boyd (DOOR Neptunus, 18), Rob Cordemans (Sparta/Feyenoord, 68) Berry van Driel (DOOR Neptunus, 6), Rick van den Hurk (Florida Marlins, 0), Michiel van Kampen (Corendon Kinheim, 60), Diegomar Markwell (DOOR Neptunus, 35), Dennis Neuman (Boston Red Sox, 0), Sidney Ponson (no club, 0), Alexander Smit (Cincinnati Reds, 19), Tom Stuifbergen (Minnesota Twins, 6), Juan Carlos Sulbaran (Cincinnati Reds, 3), Pim Walsma (L&D Amsterdam, 7) Catchers (2): Kenley Jansen (Los Angeles Dodgers, 0), Sidney de Jong (L&D Amsterdam, 126) Infielders (8): Sharnol Adriana (Rojos del Aguila de Veracruz, Mexico, 121), Yurendell de Caster (Detroit Tigers, 43), Michael Duursma (Konica Minolta Pioniers, 87), Sharlon Schoop (San Francisco Giants, 0), Randall Simon (Newark Bears, 3), Curt Smith (St. Louis Cardinals, 0), Hainley Statia (Los Angeles Angels, 26), Vince Rooi (L&D Amsterdam, 51) Outfielders (5): Bryan Engelhardt (Corendon Kinheim, 86), Gregory Halman (Seattle Mariners, 19), Eugène Kingsale (DOOR Neptunus, 64), Dirk van 't Klooster (Corendon Kinheim, 207), Danny Rombley (Corendon Kinheim, 93)
I put this together yesterday on the baseball sub-forum. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=17167273&postcount=235
Dutch G.M.’s Son Taught Him Never to Give Up http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/14/sports/baseball/14dutch.html?_r=1&ref=sports
And also a nice story in today's Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031301450.html Go Oranje!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHH....great game pitched by Ponson and Cordemans...then this guy Neuman comes in and sucks it up....damn it....god im so pissed.
No...they play the US next...since the US got rocked by Puerto Rico...if the dutch win, they US is out, and vis versa...if the Dutch win, then they play the loser of puerto rico and venezuela, and if they win that game, they move on to the semi-finals...
This sucks big time...i dont know who to route for...one of my teams is eliminated no matter what, and then one has to face either Venezuela or PR...whatever. U--S--A.