"The tiny island of Curacao is the smallest country to ever reach a FIFA World Cup, an honor it earned with an unbeaten run through an 18-month qualifying tournament in which it outscored opponents by nearly 2½ goals a game. But when it came time to introduce Curacao to the world during last Friday's tournament draw, the Great One shot well wide of the net, stealing its glory."
""Every opponent deserves respect," said German coach Julian Nagelsmann, whose team will face Curacao in its World Cup opener. "Curacao will be interesting to analyze. But we won't make the mistake of underestimating them." That's wise, said Curacao coach Dick Advocaat, who promised he isn't coming to the U.S. for vacation. "No, definitely not," he said. "Otherwise, I can go to Spain.""
"Although Curacao's schedule has traditionally been chock-full of soft opponents such as Aruba, Saint Lucia and Grenada, Curacao also thumped World Cup qualifier Haiti 5-1 and tied Canada in the last seven months. And it lost just once in last summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup. If this World Cup is to have a Cinderella team, Curacao will probably be it. A speck of an island with a land area of 171 square miles, Curacao is 40 miles north of Venezuela."
Curacao is the smallest country to reach a FIFA World Cup, qualifying unbeaten after an 18-month campaign and outscoring opponents by nearly 2½ goals per game. Wayne Gretzky mispronounced the country's name during the tournament draw, but opponents and coaches treat Curacao seriously. Germany's Julian Nagelsmann warned against underestimating them. Coach Dick Advocaat, 78, will be the oldest World Cup coach and emphasizes organization and hard work. Curacao beat Haiti 5-1, tied Canada recently, and lost just once in last summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup. The island spans 171 square miles, sits 40 miles north of Venezuela, and has about 156,000 residents.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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