Some thoughts on Netherlands-Japan collected below as we watch the match on this fine Saturday morning.

It won’t be liveblogging, as we’re watching the game about 80 minutes behind real-time off the DVR, and hence there’s no point in trying to give a play-by-play.  This’ll be more a collection of thoughts about the game–particularly the efforts of the Dutch, as they seek to build upon their 1st win, solidify their position at the top of this group, and develop some momentum heading into the remainder of the tourament.

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Here are the starting lineups:

Netherlands: Maarten Stekelenburg; Gregory van der Wiel, Johnny Heitinga, Joris Mathijsen, Giovanni van Bronckhorst (captain); Dirk Kuyt, Mark van Bommel, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel de Jong, Rafael van der Vaart; Robin van Persie.

Japan: Eiji Kawashima; Yuki Abe, Yuji Nakazawa, Tulio, Yuichi Komano; Yuto Nagatomo, Yoshito Okubo, Yasuhito Endo, Makoto Hasebe (captain), Daisuke Matsui; Keisuke Honda.