Dutch hater!…and the World Cup final

First, congratulations to the Spanish for their World Cup victory. Spain now holds the European and World championships.

However, I was very disappointed that the Dutch couldn’t pull off the victory. I remember in 2002 when the Dutch’s orange kits were all the rage and made the team an international favorite due to their good soccer and better unis.

The Dutch won every match on their way through qualifying and in the preliminary rounds, until today. It was the best Dutch performance since Goldmemeber. The boys in orange took a boatload of fouls and struggled with the stingy Spanish defense. Even when Arjen Robben broke free, he couldn’t find the net – sealing the Netherlands’ fate.

When the Dutch lost a man to a red card in extra time it was all but over. I was somewhat hopeful to see penalty kicks, but it wasn’t meant to be. Of course, extra time was a treat, as both teams opened up their game a bit more and the soccer was much more entertaining. The opening 90 minutes were less than entertaining to watch. Definitely not as entertaining as this:

That being said, it was a great World Cup. The USA went on a great run that sparked interest in the sport here in the States. With the 2018 bid still alive here in the states, it would be a serious plus for US soccer if there is continued growth over the next eight years. By the way, check out the website and sign the petition to get the World Cup in the United States in 2018.

I, for one, think the USA would be the perfect host for this tournament. It will be the highest attended and most watched World Cup in history, I guarantee it. It would be a mistake for FIFA to pass over the USA as hosts.

Now, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and company won’t be around for the 2018 tourney. But, I would think that the next eight years will allow for some serious program building for USA Soccer. I would expect a strong showing from the hosts that year.

2014 in Brasil should be equally entertaining. The USA will be ripe for another strong showing. The TV times will be favorable. And the host nation will be one of the top-five teams in the world. That should set up for a wild tournament. It’s too bad we have to wait four years.