The overwhelming excitement in Curaçao about the Blue Wave’s inaugural appearance at the FIFA World Cup™ has been somewhat tempered by the recent news that veteran coach Dick Advocaat was stepping down just four months before the global showpiece to take care of his daughter.
But Curaçao goalkeeper Eloy Room says the team have, if anything, added motivation to do well in North America to make Advocaat proud. The 37-year-old has also given his full backing to new coach Fred Rutten, who has stepped in to replace his fellow Dutchman.
“First of all, there is an understanding that we all have children, so if something happens to your child, it’s bigger than sports in general. So there are concerns but we are also a little disappointed as we did this project together and you want to finish together,” Room told FIFA.
“We fully understand and support [Advocaat] and we are behind his choice. But I feel bad for him that he cannot make it to the World Cup because that was the journey of all of us. He was a big part of it but we want to show up for him now.”
Notably, Curaçao punched their ticket to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ without Advocaat on the sidelines. The veteran coach was forced to miss the crucial goalless draw against Jamaica in November due to another family matter. Room added: “We said to each other as a group that we have to win the game for him and we did. So maybe this gives us extra motivation.”
Rutten has stepped in for what will be his first international role. The 63-year-old has coached FC Twente, PSV, Vitesse and Feyenoord in his homeland, while also taking in spells in Germany, United Arab Emirates, Israel and Belgium.
“He was my coach at the beginning of my career so I know him. He’s a good coach and I spoke to him about it. Of course, for him it’s really difficult to step in now for Dick but he also said he wants to do the same stuff as [Advocaat] and not change too much,” Room added. “He’s a proven coach which is important. For him to step in at this moment is not easy, but we are still committed to the World Cup and he will help us with it so that’s good.”
Curaçao begin their World Cup adventure against four-time champions Germany at Houston Stadium. They continue their Group E campaign versus Ecuador at Kansas City Stadium, before travelling to Philadelphia Stadium to take on Côte d’Ivoire.
To help prepare for the tournament, Curaçao will travel to Australia to take on China PR and the Socceroos later this month in the FIFA Series™. They will also meet fellow World Cup participants Scotland at Hampden Park on 30 May.
“It’s good to play against different countries because we play against a lot of Concacaf countries. For us this is a good test. It’s good to play friendlies like that to get into the rhythm for the World Cup,” Room added.
Room has been preparing for the World Cup in South Florida after recently joining United Soccer League (USL) Championship club Miami FC. Conveniently, the Blue Wave have set up a World Cup training base in nearby Boca Raton.
He has also been supporting his compatriots at the World Baseball Classic, with a number of Curaçao players on the Netherlands team, who will be playing group stage matches in Miami.
“Everybody is counting the days until the World Cup. Everyone is excited and I still have family living there and basically we cannot wait,” Room added. “It’s really nice to bring so much joy to the island. People are so proud. Sometimes I don’t realise until I see people getting so emotional about it. It’s a big achievement and sometimes it feels a bit unreal.”
