Evening Update: Oranje, Deuce, Bradley, and Kiwis

The day's news, notes, scuttlebutt, etc:

Netherlands to the World Cup final

The Oranje are on the brink of their first World Cup title after defeating Uruguay and earning a spot in the tournament final for the first time 1978.  Giovanni van Bronckhorst opened the scoring with one of, if not the best goal of the tournament, a left-footed bomb from 30 yards out on a rope to the far top corner, off the inside of the post, and into the back of the net.  

Diego Forlan continued his fine run of form and case for tournament MVP, scoring a first half equalizer thanks to a swerving Jabulani and some suspect goalkeeping from Maarten Stekelenburg.  But yet again, the Dutch got some good luck in the knockout rounds, with Wesley Sneijder's 70th minute shot taking a couple of deflections and squeaking just inside the far post beyond the outstretched arms of Fernando Muslera.

Three minutes later, Arjen Robben added a terrific snap header off the inside of the post past a frozen Muslera, seemingly putting the final nail in the Uruguay coffin.  But the South Americans battled back with a stoppage time goal and continued to press for the equalizer, coming tantalizingly close to getting a shot through on goal but ultimately falling short.

The 3-2 win means that we will either have a rematch of the 1974 World Cup final (when Germany defeated the Netherlands 2-1), or we will be guaranteed to have a first time champion hoisting the trophy when all is said and done.


Dempsey linked to AC Milan

Per Yahoo! Sports, Clint Dempsey is a target of AC Milan.  The Italian giants need to get younger, have the money to pay the estimated $12 million transfer fee, and currently employ Oguchi Onyewu, who is surely recommending the Fulham star to Massimiliano Allegri.

Should it pan out, I think this move would be a good one for Dempsey, who would likely be a regular part of the squad throughout their Serie A, Coppa Italia, and Champions League campaigns.  Deuce has consistently improved in his time as a professional, from his MLS Rookie of the Year campaign up until his Europa League heroics last season, and I think a move to an elite team would only help him raise his game even more. 

Dempsey will be 31 by the time Brazil 2014 rolls around, most likely around his peak, and a stint with one of the world's top teams could make him even more of an asset for the USMNT.  At 27 years old, this could be the most lucrative move of his career, so from that perspective, the deal also looks like a good one.  And, for selfish reasons, I want this deal to happen; I'll be traveling to Italy later on in the year and would love to watch Dempsey at the San Siro.

Per the report's source, a bid for Dempsey from AC Milan could happen very soon, so I'll keep you updated on any significant transfer news.


Bradley linked with Fulham

No, not Michael.  Instead, there are rumors that Bob Bradley is on Fulham's short list to replace Roy Hodgson, along with former Mexico and Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eirksson and former Manchester City manager Mark Hughes.  

While Bradley might not ultimately land the gig at Craven Cottage, I think he will get plenty of club level interest.  If his stint in the international game does come to an end, I would like to see him take a job in Europe and try to build a reputation across the pond for American coaches.  Bradley might also lure a USMNT player to whatever club he might land at, such as out-of-contract Jay DeMerit.  It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the US manager. 


New Zealand's Qualifying Future

Despite their relative success at this summer's World Cup, New Zealand are looking to improve their situation, even if that means a tougher road through qualification.   One report suggests the New Zealand FA will request that the OFC qualifying champion earn one of the 10 spots in the final round of AFC qualification, giving the Kiwis more meaningful matches in the cycle and helping to improve the side in the long run.  It would be quite the step up from the path that Ricki Herbert and company took this time around, which required just a two-legged playoff win over Bahrain after the 2008 OFC Nations Cup against Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia. 

I'm inclined to think that this proposal won't be accepted by the AFC since it would mean one less Asian team in the final rounds of qualification.  It would also mean long road trips down to the South Pacific, which wouldn't exactly be convenient or cheap for most members.

As far as 2014 goes, I think it's more likely that we'll see the same OFC-then playoff format that we saw this time around.  But I think this idea will pick up more steam as the FIFA Executive Committee meeting nears and will likely remain in the conversation for years to come.  It might not be a bad compromise to address OFC's (read: New Zealand's) less arduous path to the finals.

We'll see where things go from here.

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