It has become the season of their resurrection. The big league edition in which Amsterdam, after two extremely meager years, is really competing for prizes again. That is why it hurt the playoff participant, how quickly they ran into the facts on Saturday against Bloemendaal (1-2) and thus definitively lost the battle for the leading position and the corresponding first EHL ticket. ‘I’m not going to say I’m proud, when the most important thing is yet to come.’
Amsterdam coach Rick Mathijssen’s angry outburst could be heard in the very highest seats in Wagener Stadium. Well, heard … The reverberations of his tirade echoed across the seats in the wonderfully filled stadium.
Full of passion and with passionate hand gestures, the coach urged his team on after the first quarter, in which Bloemendaal had taken a 2-0 lead. It’s a shame there wasn’t a TV camera watching along in Amsterdam’s circle. It probably would have made for top-notch material. So genuinely angry and full of exasperation , the experienced prize-winner was rarely seen. And certainly not in this field hockey year, in which Amsterdam can once again call itself a top team. More on that in a moment.
Mathijssen during his thunderous speech. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
Chattering, as if it was a training session
So first that outburst that Mathijssen was perfectly willing to explain after the lost Klassieker. ‘I had to sew the team on, of course,’ the coach looked back. ‘I thought our start was weak. Bloemendaal played at sixty percent of its ability, but did score twice in the first quarter of an hour. When that happens, I have to throw in some power.’
Amsterdam gave up one corner after another, stood by and watched. Not as if Saturday afternoon a European ticket was at stake between the two best teams in the league, but rather a training game. ‘Yes, it was a bit like that. You could hear the crowd chatting a little bit and we did the same on the field,’ it sounds full of mischief. ‘I haven’t been so out of sorts before this year. I didn’t have to, because everyone was going full out. Now we played with a brake on. I think that’s a shame.’ With some bravado: ‘After that it also got better. Right?
Mathijssen is right about that, although Amsterdam came back into the game very late. Before the 1-2, six minutes before time from a penalty ball by top scorer Boris Burkhardt, they also had enough chances for the tying goal. A couple of corners, for example, that went wrong too early. Or Mustapha Cassiem’s blissful, rock-hard volley that hit Bloemendaal goalie Maurits Visser from close range. Only after that late goal did all brakes go off and the otherwise rather boring Amsterdam-Bloemendaal, became the match the thousands of spectators at the Wagener had been hoping for all afternoon: one you didn’t want to miss a second of.
Mustapha Cassiem grabs his head after missing a great chance. Photo: Bart Scheulderman
The shine is back on field hockey’s Real Madrid
It was a topper in which many players were missing: Bloemendaal was missing Teun Beins, Floris van der Kroon and Marc Miralles. Amsterdam did without Dayaan Cassiem, Robbert Kemperman, Siem Schoenaker and Sam Steins Bisschop. Because of that string of absentees on the home team, former international Billy Bakker was called in as an auxiliary. The former Orange captain quit top field hockey in 2021.
The former star could not prevent the third season defeat and that experience-less start. That start is at odds with the splendid year Amsterdam put in the books. The second-most successful men’s team in big league history regained its luster this year after a painful and much-described fall.
Two eighth-place finishes in a row ensured that the Real Madrid of field hockey played a supporting role in the big league and even briefly fought against relegation. It seems light years ago when you watch Amsterdam play this year. The quality injection in the summer – including the indefatigable Scot Lee Morton, the ruthless Cassiem brothers and neo-international David Huussen – is visibly bearing fruit. Amsterdam is playing fresh, frivolous and just plain good field hockey. Without – to put it in an Amsterdam way – spatsies.
Mathijssen, in his first season with the Amsterdam men, can be proud of this revival. ‘Well, we are still working on it,’ he sounds down-to-earth. ‘Yes, it may be clear that things are going very well. And I feel like a fish out of water here. But I’m not going to say I’m proud when the most important thing is yet to come.’ Reflecting aloud, “I’m not proud either. Maybe it would be better to come back to that question after the season. Can you do something with that?
A solid duel between Floris Middendorp (Amsterdam) and Gijs ter Braak (Bloemendaal). Photo: Bart Scheulderman
Mathijssen also saw how Amsterdam picked up after a wonderful start to the season – with four wins in the first four games. ‘Our main goal this year was that we wanted to win every game rather than the opponent. And we’ve come very far with that. Only today we really didn’t succeed in that. And that we have some nice players there is obvious. But I just hoped and didn’t expect that we could match everyone. We did. We’re a tough team, for any opponent.’
A month ago, I realized: we can also become champions Rick Mathijssen
When that confirmation came, ‘In both games against Rotterdam. I really think that’s a very good team. We drew in both games against them (3-3, both times). But we were actually even a bit better. That first time, sometime in October, I knew because of that that we could compete for the playoff spots. At the return, a month ago, I realized: we can also be champions.’
When in November 2023 it was announced that Mathijssen would be going to Amsterdam, he was given the mission to build a top team again within three years. We’ll say it again: at the time, Amsterdam was in eleventh place in the big league. We want to compete structurally for the title. That we can do that in the first year already, I think is very beautiful. Today we played for first place, an EHL ticket. That is also a compliment.’
Still a little angry: “And that’s why I was so pissed about that start.
by Hockey.nl
