As I send this late, I’ll remind that games are streamable on ESPN+ for a month after they air live. I actually recommend it this way—I’m not waking up at 6:15am to see a game live.
The Stories Going In
Can Groningen keep this up?
Groningen are flying high, yes, but can they continue? We’ve seen this story before: a club has a hot start to the season, raises expectations, and then slowly falls back to more of a natural position; whether it’s because other teams adapt to their play style, because of the pressure, or what have you—it’s usually what happens. A recent example was Sunderland last year in the Premier League, who were floating around the top of the standings at the beginning of the season but ended up finishing seventh (still a good result for them, no doubt!). Groningen, I imagine, are thinking of greener pastures than seventh place.
The last two winners of the Dutch Cup go head-to-head.
AZ won last year’s edition against N.E.C., while Go Ahead Eagles won the previous year’s against… AZ.
There are two “Game(s) of the Week” this week.
And both are watchable/streamable. AZ against Go Ahead and Utrecht against PSV are going to be two interesting watches… more details on that below.
Will the Europe-playing clubs carry that energy forward?
N.E.C. have a sour taste in their mouths after missing out on the Champions League. Ajax feel like they took care of business as usual. While Twente are on cloud nine after a miraculous (but fully deserved) comeback that lands them in European competition for the second time this decade.
N.E.C. have a game against PEC that looked easier before the latter secured a surprise win against Heerenveen—can N.E.C. bounce back and re-focus themselves on the season ahead? Will Ajax score 4 or more goals against Telstar and win like we expect them to, or will they hit another wall? Will Twente prove that their comeback was the start of greener pastures ahead by etching a dominant win into the books against a less-talented Cambuur side? Gosh, that was a long sentence. But these are the questions!
A Look At Each Game
You can’t help but root for Groningen. They’re a team that was in the 2nd division as recently as 2024, and now they’re fighting for a place at the top of the standings. Fortuna are a good barometer for how Groningen are doing, but regardless of the end result, I’d be curious to see the Expected Goals statistic—Fortuna are the type of team that will create one chance, punish you, and then absorb attacks the rest of the game. I’m not sure if this prediction is a true one, or a wishful one—I want Groningen to keep doing well. They’re a fun, romantic team. But I think they take this one. 3-1 Groningen.
Ah, a Rotterdam Derby. I’ll be interested in seeing how Excelsior do here more than Sparta. As you may remember, I’m big on Ruben den Uil, the young Excelsior coach. This is the kind of game—against a Sparta team that’s a little more talented—that will tell us the capabilities of this Excelsior team. I think they show that they’re no pushovers and force a tie. 2-2.
Let’s be real: this is the Game of the Week. My indecisiveness has left me. A high-flying AZ team, chock-full of talent, against a Go Ahead team that has arguably been this season’s most entertaining under Joseph Oosting. I’m very excited to watch this one. This is the game where AZ either prove how good they are or show that they are, in fact, fallible. I think they do the former. AZ are really good. 3-2 AZ.
N.E.C. are in recovery. The Champions League dream is over—even though the people of Nijmegen did get to hear the famous hymn at the Goffertstadion one time. But hey, the Europa League is still a fantastic accomplishment for N.E.C. I would’ve predicted an easy win for them, but PEC (by the way, it’s N-E-C, obviously, but PEC is said as “peck”) have shown in their previous games that they’re not the pushover. I think that’ll be reflected in the scoreline, but there’s also the possibility N.E.C. run rampant. 2-1 N.E.C.
This game. This game is why I couldn’t decide the Game of the Week… but the reason I said “let’s be real” is because I think everyone would predict a PSV thrashing of Utrecht. Unfortunately, I am too. Alongside Groningen, Utrecht are another team I’m rooting for this season because I think highly of their new coach, Anthony Correia. But he’s clearly hit obstacles in the implementation of his vision. And the ensuing struggles will only continue against arguably the best team in the league. 4-1 PSV.
I’m laughing. Because once again, ADO function as a standardized test1 for their opponents. This is a game Feyenoord should win based on talent alone, but ADO are well-coached and well-organized under Robin Peter. And so once again, ADO are the antagonists; this is the trap game. One day, when their incredibly difficult start to the season begins to wane, will ADO experience the thrill of being the favorite in a game. I think Feyenoord pull through as they’re supposed to, but that’s not something I’d want to promise until right before the referee’s final whistle. 3-1 Feyenoord.
This one’s easy on paper. Heerenveen should win, full stop. All three of the Eredivisie newbies have a combined zero points. ADO is the team that’s most likely to break that streak, not Willem II. I would genuinely be shocked if Willem II get a result here. 3-0 Heerenveen.
Ajax are fun to watch again. Which is great! A couple seasons ago, under Francesco Farioli, there was a very high chance Ajax would win—but you could use the style of gameplay to put yourself to sleep. It was still possession-based, but incredibly conservative; Ajax would not try to attack until they had a clear opening. It would secure a 1-0 win, but at what cost? Well, now Ajax are a little less likely to win, but they’re going to be fun to watch. I think the legendary Johan Cruijff was right: you’d rather win 5-4 than 1-0. I don’t think Telstar will put four goals past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but considering they like to play with bravery, there will be ample opportunities for Ajax to knock in a few goals. I think this’ll be a fun watch. The question is becoming not “can X team score against Ajax” but “how many will X team score against Ajax.” Risky, yes, but very fun. 4-1 Ajax.
What are Twente? Are they now the team we thought they’d be, after that incredible comeback against Qarabağ? Or was that a lucky fluke that gives no insight into the state of their team? We’ll not get a very clear answer here against Eredivisie newbie Cambuur. This is like a special election in a midterm year. It’s a Republican district, you know the Republican will win, but it’s a matter of by how much that will give you insight into the state of politics. I think Twente, like Feyenoord, pass this test. 3-0 Twente.
The Standings Going In
(Note: since three of last week’s games [N.E.C. against Excelsior, Twente against Telstar, and Ajax against Willem II] were suspended due to teams trying to qualify for European competitions, some teams have played one game fewer. But I think it’s worth just presenting the standings as they are, without making much ado about this fact, which is very European-style.)
9 - AZ Alkmaar
7 - Go Ahead Eagles
7 - PSV Eindhoven
7 - Feyenoord
6 - FC Groningen
4 - Ajax*
4 - Sparta Rotterdam
4 - Fortuna Sittard
4 - Heerenveen
3 - Excelsior*
3 - N.E.C.*
3 - FC Twente*
3 - Telstar*
3 - PEC Zwolle
1 - FC Utrecht
0 - Willem II*
0 - ADO Den Haag
0 - SC Cambuur
One Player To Know
Don’t let the serious face fool you—this guy creates chances for fun. He is easily Groningen’s biggest star; they had to resist offers from larger clubs like AZ to keep him at the “Pride of the North” for another season. ESPN NL recently featured a look into Van Bergen’s upbringing:
“[Thom] could, so to speak, watch the birds, look up at the sky—but the ball stayed at his feet.” — Jurgen Hazelwinkel, youth coach at VV Gorecht
“He didn’t come back fit enough [after the summer], so we made clear to him that things had to change. He flipped that switch right away. That’s what I love about Thom: when he needs to improve something, he gets to work.” — Paul Matthijs, Van Bergen’s coach in the Groningen youth system
“Thom was already playing at FC Groningen at the time, but he never let that show around the other boys [his classmates at school, presumably]. He didn’t want to act like, “Look at me, I play for Groningen.” In fact, he actually let other boys play better. That shows he’s a sociable guy, who doesn’t need to be in the spotlight himself.” — Johan van der Veen, Van Bergen’s uncle
Clearly, this is a good player and a good person. Groningen are just too easy to root for this season.
Transfer Corner
I’m not sure if this section is worth keeping—I don’t think there’s a lot to say about transfers, because obviously, if a club is bringing someone in, they think they’re good. And obviously, if a player is leaving, it’s because they either want to leave, or are wanted to leave. Like Casper Tengstedt, for example, who just left Feyenoord for Toulouse. That’s not because he was so good that clubs came calling for him; it’s because he was deemed surplus. Another Feyenoord departure, Ayase Ueda, was because he was wanted by others. See? Boring. Pure speculation, the all of it.
If someone new has come in, and is playing well, you’ll hear about it.
Moment of Nature
In case you hadn’t heard… this is the English version of “Links Rechts” by the Snollebollekes; this new tradition took over the celebrations of the Dutch fans in the US.
My DoDEA-educated brain (I’ll never call it the DoWEA) will forever think of the Terra Nova.