Coach Marco Van Basten will join the cast of many other former legends who are now coaching national teams.  He will have to shoulder the burden of expectations that comes with being ranked 7th in the world.  Van Basten has culled many of the former stars, leaving out three very high profile players in Roy Makay, Edgar Davids, and Clarence Seedorf.  Instead, Ruud Van Nistelrooy will be relied upon as the go-to guy upfront.  He has shown that he is capable of filling that role with 150 career goals for Manchester United.  Van Nistelrooy's teammate at Manchester is goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, widely considered to be one of the best keepers in the world at this point.  Look for Chelsea star Arjen Robben, as well as midfielders Rafael van der Vaart and Phillip Cocu to make up the core of the Dutch midfield, and complement Van Nistelrooy's charge.

Result: Van Basten's squad drew against tournament hotshot Argentina, and tied for first place in Group C on points.  In the first round match against Portugal a bizarre turn of events, and perhaps the decision not to start Van Nistelroy led to the demise of the Dutch campaign.