NOORDWIJK (DA) — Curaçao began its World Cup preparations Monday in Noordwijk, opening a training camp at SJC in the same Dutch seaside town where coach Dick Advocaat prepared the Netherlands for the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
The Curaçao squad was welcomed at Hotel Huis ter Duin before taking the field for its first training session under Advocaat, with supporters turning out to watch the World Cup-bound team begin its final build-up.
Leandro Bacuna told Omroep West he was ready for the World Cup and not nervous about the occasion after waiting since May 2 to join the national team camp.
Noordwijk carries significant history for Advocaat. In 1994, he stayed at Huis ter Duin with the Netherlands during preparations for the World Cup in the United States. Oranje also trained at SJC, where it played a send-off match before leaving for the tournament.
That 1994 camp also became part of Dutch football history when Ruud Gullit announced at Huis ter Duin, alongside Advocaat, that he would not travel to the World Cup.
Now, 32 years later, Advocaat has returned to Noordwijk with Curaçao as the island prepares for its first World Cup appearance.
Supporters will have two more opportunities to watch Curaçao train at SJC Noordwijk: Tuesday, May 26, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. local time, and Thursday, May 28, from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. local time.
The team will also hold a football clinic and meet-and-greet event Wednesday, May 27, beginning at 3 p.m. local time at RVV Blijdorp in Rotterdam.
The morning training sessions at SJC on May 26, May 27 and May 28 are closed to the public and media.
Curaçao will next face Scotland in a friendly Saturday in Glasgow before playing Aruba on June 6 in its final warm-up ahead of the World Cup.
The Blue Wave will open its World Cup campaign against Germany before facing Ecuador and Ivory Coast in Group E.