Dutch-born players are making Suriname's World Cup dreams a reality

PARAMARIBO, Suriname -- The referee had blown his whistle, but nary 1 astatine the Franklin Essed Stadion near the stands. The drummers kept drumming, the horn players kept playing, and the Suriname men's nationalist squad took a thigh astir the field.

The hosts, known by fans arsenic the Natio, appeared headed for their archetypal decision successful World Cup qualifying, but a stunning stoppage-time extremity by Virgil Misidjan earned a 1-1 gully with visiting Guatemala and the constituent that comes with it. Misidjan's rocket astir deed his ain goalkeeper, Etienne Vaessen, who came up to effort to make chaos connected a country kick. But Vaessen jumped retired of the mode arsenic Misidjan took a changeable from extracurricular the box, giving Guatemala goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen lone a flimsy glimpse arsenic it passed him and leveled the score.

Halfway done the last circular of World Cup qualification, Suriname is atop the Group A standings. It's the closest the state has travel to qualification since the 1970s, and if it tin enactment determination for different 3 matches, its archetypal World Cup awaits.

After past Friday's match, Vaessen couldn't debar being drawn into the assemblage that pressed on the fence, with kid aft kid and instrumentality aft instrumentality asking for a selfie oregon an autograph.

They are nationalist heroes, yet Vassen was not calved here. Neither was Misidjan. In fact, lone 1 subordinate who saw enactment successful Friday's tie, guardant Gleofilo Vlijter, grew up successful Suriname. The remainder hail from the Netherlands -- which colonized the country successful the 17th period and ruled it until 1975 -- and are eligible to play for the federation via their parents oregon grandparents.

But watching the assemblage clamor for Vaessen, it was clear: This is Suriname's team.

- A dash of Eredivisie and MLS: Why Indonesia is 'not similar before'
- 2026 World Cup: Who has qualified, and however the remainder tin marque it
- The improvement of the World Cup shot arsenic 2026's Trionda is unveiled

"They emotion football," Vassen told ESPN. "There was that question astatine first, 'Oh, the players are from Europe,' but I consciousness astatine location here. I springiness everything for the country, and they consciousness that, too. I support good, truthful they're blessed with me. I'm blessed with them. I tin marque clip for a small selfie to marque radical happy. It's truly important."

Indeed, shot has a agelong past successful Suriname. Club squad Transvaal doubly won the Concacaf Champions Cup, and Surinamese players' power connected Dutch shot has been strong. Edgar Davids, Aron Winter and Clarence Seedorf, positive existent Suriname manager Stanley Menzo and adjunct Henk Fraser, were calved successful the Caribbean federation but alternatively represented the Netherlands.

Until recently, though, shot successful Suriname was successful a decades-long swoon. Though FIFA regulations licence players with a grandparent from that state who get a passport, it was lone up of its 2021 instrumentality to the Concacaf Gold Cup, its archetypal information successful the continental title successful 36 years, that Suriname's authorities would contented athletes passports without requiring them to surrender their different nationality.

The alteration was spearheaded by Menzo's predecessor...