Due to their love of bikes, the Dutch never run out of gas.
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In 1982, President Ronald Reagan described US relations with the Netherlands as “the longest unbroken, peaceful relationship with any foreign country.”
But today, the two nations will put their friendship on ice as they battle in the World Cup at 10am ET. It’s the knockout round now, so you either win or go home.
To get you prepped for the game, here’s how the countries stack up against one another.
Mobility: The car-loving Americans can cover great distances on the pitch in quick bursts, but plumes of emissions and traffic jams could easily frustrate their attack. The Dutch, meanwhile, never run out of gas. In 2019–2020, the Dutch made 28% of all trips by bicycle, and there are more bikes in the country than people. Advantage: Netherlands.
History: The Dutch scored a huge own-goal by handing over ownership of Manhattan to England in the 17th century. But they’ve still managed to leave their imprint on the city through language (Breuckelen → Brooklyn, Haarlem → Harlem). Advantage: US, because it owns NYC now.
Consistency: Both teams have been plagued by moments where they get really, really excited for a short period of time…then crumble embarrassingly. The Dutch pioneered this strategy with tulip fever in the 1630s, but the US has also been vulnerable to bubbles—the dot-com era, SPACs, and (much of) crypto were all victories that turned into epic defeats. Advantage: neither one.
Prediction: USA 1, Netherlands 0.
Here are the other 14 teams in the knockout round.—NF
