The final is set, Holland and Spain will decide who is the new World Cup champion. (Getty Images)

Sure not having our beloved Americans still in the World Cup hurts but I’m over it. I went from rooting for the US to rooting for teams like Holland and Uruguay. The style of play is a lot different from the US but it was something to get behind. Plus their games seemed to be more entertaining than most in this World Cup.

Yesterday we saw the final become complete with Spain downing Germany 1-0 after a hard-fought battle in Durban. The game wasn’t that great in some respects as Germany sat back and took all that Spain could give them while Spain failed to finish in front of the net yet again.

Now its Spain and Holland. Two counties that have yet to see their name on the World Cup trophy. Two countries that have longed for this chance at greatness.

Honestly I couldn’t be happier with this final.

Sure not having a Brazil or Italy or Germany or Argentina is tough to see but we should be happy to have a new champion for once. Its not often that it happens this way either.

So what do I expect on Sunday? A damn good game for the most part. No doubt the all-European final will be intense, probably as intense as the 2006 final with Italy and France. I have a feeling the Dutch will come out early and try to take it to the Spanish defense while Spain will still get plenty of possession like they always do.

Neither team has been at their absolute best in this tournament but each have found ways to win. The old styles have been thrown out and we’re seeing team football get them this far.

I’m pulling for the Dutch in this one but should Spain win I wouldn’t be too upset. A lot of firsts will happen either way and we should be happy with that.

Dirk Kuyt and Arjen Robben lead the Netherlands in to Group E action. (Getty Images)

We’re skipping around in our World Cup previews. I can’t for the life of me preview Group C just yet, and I’m sure Geoff can’t do the same. We should have Group D up tomorrow sometime but let’s move forward with Group E shall we?

Group E could be a tricky group to figure out but one thing should be pretty clear it’s Holland’s to lose. With tough matches against Japan, Cameroon and Denmark most figure the Dutch are the favorites here and even in the entire tournament. Most figure it is a three-team race for second place but don’t sleep on Denmark not wanting to settle for second place in this group.

Cameroon: One of the couple African sides that I like in this tournament. Having Samuel Eto’o doesn’t hurt either. The thing is this team moves when Eto’o moves. Their recent loss to Portugal does give reason for concern. Going up against quality European sides like Denmark and Holland could present big challenges to this team. The defense has to be strong for them to move on, something it wasn’t at this year’s African Nations Cup.

Denmark: Failing to qualify for the last World Cup in 2006 and Euro 2008 this Danish group burst onto the scene in qualifying with a surprising record. They were hot at first in qualifying going 5-0-1 but later cooled down towards the end of the run. So which Danish side will show up to these games? The hot streak one or the one that cooled off and looked a bit aged? Either way this team has a bit of history on their side, even though they’ve only qualified for the World Cup three other times they have always made it out of the group stage. A lot is riding on their opening match with Holland, a win or draw there could set them up for another surprising run. Keep an eye out for Nicklas Bendtner, he may be 22 but this could be a year that he shines.

Holland (Netherlands): The Dutch attack is definitely one of the best in this tournament. If they get going then look out, they’ll likely run away with this group just like they did with their qualifying group in Europe. I love their defense too, its underrated in my eyes. Their discipline is also a strong trait that may not get talked about as much here either. Their last few friendlies leading up to the tournament they made easy work of Mexico and Ghana. They should move on from this group, it won’t be easy but with the talent on board there it shouldn’t be too hard.

Japan: No doubt they are the true underdog in this group. Not many will figure they have a chance to advance as they will likely need two upsets to do so. They recently gave England a good run for their money but in the end they still fell short, which based on other results this year seems to be a theme for them. Getting Cameroon to open the tournament is a good thing for them however. In the past couple years this group has done well against African sides going 5-0-1 against them, while outscoring them 16-4. They’ll need to bank on that experience to get a jump start in this group.

Group E Predictions:

Again it’s Hollands to lose which I don’t think they will here. After that its really a toss up in my mind. I love Cameroon but I also know how tough Denmark can be here. With Japan being such a wildcard it could be any one of those two moving on with the Dutch. I think Cameroon sneaks out of this group but it won’t be by much.

Holland 9 pts.
Cameroon 6pts.
Denmark 3 pts.
Japan 0pts.

Not a bad showing by the US against Holland. (Getty Images)

I won’t go too into the match just yet, I have a plan on re-watching some of it later on today but I did want to give my initial player ratings from this afternoon’s 2-1 loss to the Dutch in Amsterdam.

WVH USMNT Player Ratings:

Tim Howard – 7
Jonathan Spector – 5
Carlos Bocanegra – 7
Jay DeMerit – 5
Jonathan Bornstein – 2
Stuart Holden – 5
Michael Bradley – 5
Jose Francisco Torres – 5
Landon Donovan – 4
Jozy Altidore – 6
Robbie Findley – 4

Subs:
Maurice Edu – 4
DeMarcus Beasley – 7
Alejandro Bedoya – 6
Heath Pearce – 4
Eddie Johnson – 4
Clarence Goodson – 5

Top Three Players for US:

1. DeMarcus Beasley – Off the bench he was very good today, probably much better than he’s been in recent games that I’ve seen him in. I like the idea of him still coming off the bench though instead of starting for the US.
2. Tim Howard – He made his usual few big saves but got unlucky with the PK and the other goal. Still can’t blame this loss at all on Timmy, he worked his ass off as usual.
3. Carlos Bocanegra – Got the lone goal on a great free kick by Beasley. He was so freakin’ open on that play it was ridiculous. He also did well in the back today for the US.

Overall it wasn’t a terrible game by the US. I thought Donovan was a ghost most of the game but that could be due to poor service from out of the back for him. Early on the US was too predictable in the midfield and in the final third. Robbie Findley was okay but really showed he has no shot at a roster spot in South Africa after getting over powered in this game by the Dutch defense. He has the speed to beat them but never really took people on like we would have liked.

Bad day for Bornstein though. First the penalty late in the first half and then the deflection for the second Dutch goal in the second half. I thought Bob Bradley should have subbed him at half for someone like Pearce but he’s got too much of a love fest for Bornstein.

Again, I hope to have more later on this game.

Bob Bradley has some tough choices to make for tomorrow's friendly against Holland (Getty Images)

Honestly I need to amp up my USMNT cover on here. I’ll admit I don’t get to see every game like I would like and I honestly nearly forgot the El Salvador game last week. In fact I didn’t even get to watch all of it but what I did see what the final 20 minutes or so which were fun to view since it was a nice comeback for the US.

What we know is this Holland game tomorrow is a biggie. Its in Holland and the Dutch are easily one of the best squads in the World right now. But this is more than a high profile friendly for Bob Bradley it is a chance to really finish filling out his roster for June at the World Cup in South Africa.

A good chunk of the roster is probably set but for those bubble players this is a big test. The two friendlies so far this year were definitely for the MLS talent to show their stuff and while they did a decent job only a couple of that B or C bunch will make an sort of dent in this roster come June.

Bradley has a couple areas to hammer out before June. The nearly all his defense needs to be figured out, his defensive midfield spot, and a striker.

Left Back: It will either be Jonathan Bornstein or Heath Pearce come June in this spot. That I am certain of. Pearce had a nice game against El Salvador and really seems to be doing well in Dallas right now. Having quality playing time has certainly helped him out too. Depending how they look tomorrow will go a long way in determining who gets a roster spot in June. My money is on Pearce right now.

Center Back: I still have a guy feeling Oguchi Onyewu will be available come June but some how if he isn’t it will be between Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson and Carlos Bocanegra to pick up the slack. I think the bigger story will be if Goodson can continue to impress Bradley. I think should Onyewu return to full health and Goodson continue to impress it will make Bradley’s life tough but in a good way. I’m not saying that he’d take Goodson over Onyewu here but having an improving Goodson only helps our chances in the back.

Right back: I worry about the wings in the back but if Pearce can get up to speed on the left I think so can Jonathan Spector on the right. But let’s not sleep on Frank Simek here, this game could be his big chance to make it in June.

Defensive Mid: It will likely be a WVHooligan favorite Maurice Edu to go in the midfield along side Michael Bradley. I think at this point this is Edu’s spot to lose. With Ricardo Clark on the outside looking in for a roster spot at this point I think Edu is a good bet, which I am happy with here too.

Striker: Ok we know Jozy Altidore is set and if Charlie Davies doesn’t return in time it will come down to three guys: Jeff Cunningham, Robbie Findley or Eddie Johnson. If that is the case my money is on Findley here. I’m curious to see which gets the start tomorrow with Altidore though because both need a strong start to do well.

Again tomorrow is a big deal. We must find a way to stop the Dutch on the wings. I’m very worried that Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart will eat our boys alive on the wings. If we find a way to stay in front of them and keep them honest we’ll be fine. If not it could be a very long night in Amsterdam.

The Dutch also like to shoot from range, so guys in the midfield and in the center part of the pitch must be on guard. One slip up will put Tim Howard in some jeopardy. Protecting the ball in the midfield will be key for the US.

I expect a high tempo to this game from both sides but the US will be wise to slow it down at some points to keep the pressure off the defense. Our forwards will need to work together to get quality looks on goal. The Dutch defense is a savvy one, but isolating one of them at a time can help work wonders. A big game from Landon Donovan also wouldn’t hurt!

This won’t be an easy game by any stretch for the US. Holland is damn good and they are very tough to beat in Holland. Forcing mistakes early will boost our confidence if we can get them but giving up silly passes in the midfield and on the wings will doom us. I hate going against the US but until we show up on the road, particularly in Europe I have to go against us. It should be fun to watch…key word is should.

WVH Prediction: Holland 2, US 0

There’s only four MLS players on this roster, so this may be a slight glimpse of what we’ll see in South Africa this summer. Too bad there is on Brian Ching, I really expected him to be on here after his performance last night.

So what do ya think?

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)

DEFENDERS (7): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (7): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)

FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

The Americans will face the Dutch at Amsterdam ArenA on March 3 (2:30pm, ESPN2/Galavision). The game will also be on an international fixture date meaning we’ll probably see a big mix of European and MLS players from Bob Bradley.

This friendly along with the Honduras one in January and a possible match with Mexico in February is starting to shape some things up nicely for World Cup tune-ups for the US. Hopefully this trip to Europe will be a little better than the one last month that saw the US go down to Denmark and Slovakia.

The LA Times is reporting this evening that the US would be playing Holland next March while their rivals to the south would be hosting Spain. Yes, a Mexico-Spain match from Mexico City sounds pretty good to me.

Back to playing Holland though. I love the idea that the US is actually going to schedule good tune-ups for the World Cup this time around. I felt one big reason the US stunk up the place in 2006 was due to their lack of quality tune-ups for the big event in Germany. Playing countries like Latvia and Venezuela don’t get you ready for games against Ghana and Italy.

Hopefully Holland will be one of a couple good tune-ups the US has before the World Cup next summer.

What do you think of possibly playing Holland next year?

Its not that I’m not jazzed up for it (because I totally am), its I don’t have enough time or energy right now to preview it like Ives or someone else out there.

As for who I’m rooting for…well seeing how I am a Swede, the boys in yellow will be the ones I will follow closely but once they exit the tournament (which they will probably after group play) I will probably lean towards Portugal or Italy winning it all. Everyone is high on someone like Croatia or Spain, but I’m still hoping Sweden can be that dark horse if their defense holds up.

Who are you all rooting for? Let’s hear it.