Five great moments from the Netherlands’ World Cup stay in Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Netherlands’ base camp was at the Current’s facilities in Kansas City.
- The team took two orange e-bikes then requested 15 more from Midwest Cyclery.
- Dutch players held an open practice, signed autographs, and joined public walks.
A day before his team’s loss Monday to Morocco in the Round-of-32 at the World Cup, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman was asked about the heat in Monterrey, Mexico.
Koeman said it would be, um, no sweat, because the team had spent the past few weeks in Kansas City.
“I don’t really think that it’s a problem for us,” Koeman said at a news conference. “We played a friendly match in New York at 3 o’clock in the afternoon with a lot of heat. Our base camp is in Kansas City, that’s where we train. And today it was sweltering, it was very, very hot.
“And it may be even in the evening that the match is going to be held now, so I think that that’s not really any type of excuse.”
Turns out, missed penalty tries were the issue for the Netherlands as Morocco won 3-2 in a shootout.
And so ends the Dutch stay in Kansas City, where its base camp was at the Current’s facilities.
After spending last night in Mexico, the players and staff were due to fly back to Kansas City on Tuesday. Holland’s press team said the squad will spend the night here, then depart from Kansas City International Airport at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
The Netherlands’ time in KC was memorable for fans. Here are five great moments.
1. Two-wheel travel
Christina Baanders-Decker at Midwest Cyclery at 3951 Main St., was already thrilled that Holland was making its camp in Kansas City, but that excitement only increased when the team asked for some e-bikes. She had two orange ones ready for the team.
“I have as many bikes as you guys need,” Baanders-Decker told a member of Holland’s staff.
A day later, the squad asked for 15 more bikes for the players and staff to get around when leaving their hotel on the Country Club Plaza.
2. Open practice
Shortly after arriving in Kansas City, the Netherlands had a practice session that was open to the fans.
Afterward, players signed autographs for Kansas Citians who came to watch. This was one of the many once-in-a-lifetime moments for fans here.
3. Out and about
The Dutch players were not interested in staying holed up in the Cascade Hotel when not training. Some Dutch players took a stroll on the Plaza in their first few days in KC, including star defender Virgil van Dijk.
A few weeks later, players like van Dijk were still signing autographs outside the hotel.
4. The Orange Walk
The World Cup is so much more than just the players and the matches. It’s the fans and the joyous attitude they bring to the places where their team plays.
And while we have seen massive numbers of fans of other teams, only the Netherlands went for a very public walk. The Orange Walk took place last week ahead of the Netherlands’ match against Tunisia, and it was an amazing time for anyone in Kansas City who took part.
The scene inside the fan walk down Grand Boulevard was unlike anything we’ve seen before in Kansas City.
5. A Pokémon discovery
The Dutch players didn’t only stretch their legs, sign autographs or pedal around town, at least one went on a quest for Pokémon cards.
And, boy, was he happy.
Dutch star Memphis Depay stopped at the Collector’s Cache, 13354 College Blvd. in Overland Park, and found a Mega Gengar ex. His reaction was priceless.
Includes reporting from The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff, Julianna Mejia and Eric Adler
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 10:43 AM.
