Kevin Strootman looks certain to miss the tournament in Brazil

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- In a severe blow to the Netherlands World Cup hopes, midfielder Kevin Strootman looks certain to miss the tournament in Brazil
because of a serious knee injury. Orlando Cepeda Cardinals Jersey . AS Roma said Monday that the 24-year-old Strootman will undergo surgery after tearing
the anterior cruciate ligament and possibly damaging the meniscus in his left
knee during Sundays 1-0 loss at Napoli. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal said in
a statement he talked to the injured midfielder by phone. "I can imagine his
world is falling apart at the moment," Van Gaal said, adding that Strootmans
loss "is also a blood-letting for the Netherlands team." The left-footed
midfielder has captained the national side in the past and is widely considered
a future full-time leader for his country. A strong tackler, he is also
comfortable bringing the ball forward in attack. Strootman has played 25 times
for the Dutch national side as a midfield enforcer, scoring three times. He was
one of only a handful of players virtually guaranteed a place in Van Gaals World
Cup squad. "Kevin played a major role in our qualification for the World Cup in
Brazil," Van Gaal said. The 2010 runners-up have been drawn to play defending
champion Spain, Chile and Australia at the World Cup. Kolten Wong Cardinals Jersey . - Henrik Samuelsson and Curtis Lazar each had two goals and two assists as the Edmonton
Oil Kings secured top spot in the Eastern Conference by defeating the host Red
Deer Rebels 7-4 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action. Enos Slaughter Cardinals Jersey . - The Atlanta Falcons have signed former offensive lineman Gabe Carimi.ROME -- Roma
beat Napoli 3-2 in the first leg of their Italian Cup semifinal on Wednesday
thanks to a double from Ivory Coast forward Gervinho. The return match will take
place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal.
Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener
and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. But Gervinho scored the winner two
minutes from time. "In our league, ninety per cent of the matches are played
defensively but its good to play like this against strong players," Roma
midfielder Daniele De Rossi said. "Its good to see games like this, theyre an
advert for football. "It wasnt good for us mentally to concede a minute after
the restart. But after they made it 2-2, we responded brilliantly. Another good
game like tonights awaits us in Naples." Napoli started the brighter but it was
Roma which broke the deadlock in the 13th minute when Gervinho ran onto a
delightful through-ball from Francesco Totti and rounded goalkeeper Pepe Reina
before firing home from three meters. Strootman doubled Romas lead in the 32nd
with a stunning rocket into the top right corner from more than 30 metres.
Gonzalo HHiguain pulled one back for Napoli a minute into the second half as the
ball deflected off Mehdi Benatia and goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis got his hands
to it but could not prevent it from going in. Adam Wainwright Jersey. It was the former Real Madrid strikers 16th of the season. Substitute Dries Mertens levelled in
the 70th, four minutes after coming off the bench, when he burst between two
defenders and blasted an effort past De Sanctis. Gervinho secured the match for
Roma when he collected Alessandro Florenzis pass and coolly slotted into the
near side of goal. Udinese, which has eliminated both Milan teams, beat
Fiorentina on Tuesday in a match which saw three wonderful goals. Antonio Di
Natale broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with his first goal from open play
since September but Juan Manuel Vargas smashed an effort in off the underside of
the crossbar a minute from halftime. Substitute Luis Muriel scored a long-range
winner for Udinese, which is hoping to reach the final for the first time since
1922. Both sides eliminated illustrious teams in the previous round. Napoli
knocked out holder Lazio, while Roma defeated Juventus, which is on course for a
third successive league title. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '