BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — Fire forward Collins John will see plenty of familiar faces on the field when he tunes in to Sunday’s World Cup final between the Netherlands and Spain.
The 24-year-old Dutchman has two caps with the Oranje and is friends with many of the players on the Dutch World Cup squad. He'll be pulling hard for his countrymen this weekend.
“It’s good to see your old teammates getting so far,” the former Fulham man told MLSsoccer.com. “I think I’ve played with nearly all of [the players on the World Cup roster]… It’s good to see they’ve moved on in their career and they’re doing well playing for big teams in Europe.”
“[Nigel] De Jong, [Eljero] Elia and [Gregory] van der Weil, we’re all close friends," he added. "[Robin] van Persie, we obviously both played in London together, so it’s nice.”
John said he disagrees with those that say the Dutch haven’t played good soccer in their run to the final.
“They deserve it,” John said. “I know people are saying we haven’t played the best soccer, and I do think we were a bit lucky with the draw, but Brazil? I mean come on. Everybody thought they were the favorite and I thought second half we were the much better team, so I’m happy.”
John, who has spoken to Elia and winger Ryan Babel during the tournament, said that he doesn’t have any grand celebration planned if Holland defeat Spain for their first World Cup title.
“Of course I’m going to be happy [if they win],” John said. “My family’s coming into to town this weekend so we’re going to celebrate a little bit… I’ve been talking to friends back home and they’re saying Holland is crazy right now. Everywhere is orange. People in the street are drinking, partying. It’s amazing to actually [be in a final], so I’m happy.”
John didn’t offer up any prediction for the final, but it’s a safe bet that the always-confident striker – who is currently sidelined with a gastrointestinal illness – will like Holland’s chances.
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com.
