On deck: Netherlands-Denmark, while still pondering U.S.-England

JOHANNESBURG –There’s no U.S. press availability today; the United States has the day off. So, by the time you get up, curse Mondays, defeat the urge to call in sick with World Cup fever and drag your weary self into the office, I’ll be down at Johannesburg’s Soccer City getting set to watch the Netherlands play Denmark.

Or sitting in traffic, hoping to get there in time. Jo’burg traffic makes the perennial L.A. highway obstruction look like an open-area beginner driver instruction course.

Like so many supporters of our game, I do enjoy seeing the Dutch play. And like a few others I’ve heard from, we’re getting sucked into the vortex of belief: wondering if the wonder team of modern soccer, the brilliant Oranje, can finally push past the sticking point and make a little World Cup hay? Arjen Robben’s injury improvement, Robin van Persie’s fortunate rehabilitation, Wesley Sneijder’s immaculate season and a team accord, which players insist is atypically stitched tight, all provides some hope. We’ll see in a couple of hours.

As for the Americans, I keep hearing about how good Oguchi Onyewu was against England, but I just disagree. A little anyway. He wasn’t bad. His determination and commitment to the cause was indisputably fierce, but he still looked a bit off to me. Since I’m just like everyone else, preferring to gravitate toward analysis and expressions that match my own, I’ll send you here and let you make your own call.

More later from Soccer City, which will be painted with Dutch orange, as the game’s most festive fans of the northern hemisphere make Soccer City their’s for a day.