I spent the rest of December and Christmas in London with Viv. Lisa had headed back to Scotland to spend some time with her family but Viv had decided not to go back to Holland this Christmas. I texted my father that I would be staying in England but he just read the text without replying which probably meant that he didn't care. I was slightly hurt that he didn't want to see me but also slightly happy that I wouldn't have to go back and spend time with him and his family. The only person I missed was my brother but he would probably be busy with his girlfriend and other college friends.
The conversation came up one day as we were just chilling on the couch. Viv was reading some book and while I was on my laptop doing some school work with some random Christmas movie playing in the background.
[Dutch]
"This is really random, but have you ever thought of playing internationally for Holland and not the US?" Viv asked. She had started to talk to me more often in Dutch recently. I was quite rusty not having spoken it for years but I was slowly remembering it more. It was actually quite nice talking to her in Dutch, it reminded me of the days that I spent in the Netherlands back when my mother was still here.
I looked over at her. I had actually thought about this quite a lot. "I mean yea..but it's not like my dad would ever let me.." I sighed knowing that this was true. He would never let me play for another team other than the US.
"Well shouldn't you be the one choosing?" She said questioningly. "I mean no disrespect to your father but I mean it is your career."
I sighed. "I wish, but he's sort of the person who gets to decide. I mean he's the one who decided for me to sign with Arsenal. I just kinda..do what he says." I shrugged. I didn't find anything weird about this. It had always been him telling me what to do and I had always just followed his directions.
Viv looked at me weirdly. "Did he not ask you if you wanted to play for Arsenal before you signed?"
I just shook my head. "No he didn't. He kind of just come to me one day and told me that there was a club in England interested in signing me and that we were going to visit in a few days."
"That's kinda peculiar isn't it? Isn't it usually the player who decides where she plays?" Viv said with a laugh. I just shrugged my shoulders again not knowing how to answer. "Well Sarina, the manager for Holland was talking to me about you. She would be happy to call you up for the Netherlands senior team."
Viv looked at me. I didn't know what to say. The national team coach wanted me to play for her? On the senior team?! "I mean that would be so awesome. I'm currently only playing on the youth teams for the US so it would be cool to actually play with the senior team." I said happily. But then remembered. "But still, my father wouldn't let me."
"Well if you tell Sarina that you want to play for her and she gives you the official call up and you accept, your father can't really do much can he. I mean you live practically on the other side of the world."
"Well...I suppose that would work." I said skeptically. "I need a while to think about it."
"Yea take your time. I get it because once you decide the senior team you're playing for you can't really back can you." Viv said with a little laugh. "We have a international break coming up mid January and Sarina wants to call you up then. So as long as you have an answer before that I'm sure it'll work out great."
The question of whether I should stay with the US and keep playing at the youth level for the next few years or if I should switch nationalities and start playing for the Dutch senior team, was all that was in my mind for the next few weeks. Finally around the end of December I had my answer.
I went to Viv to tell her my answer so. "Hey Viv you got a minute?"
She looked up at me from her cooking. "Yea what's up?"
"You know how we were talking about me possibly playing for Holland?"
She nodded. "You finally got your answer then?"
"Y-yea, I think so." I paused making sure I had made the right decision. "You can tell Sarina that I will play for Holland."
Viv squealed with delight and Lisa looked at her concerned from the couch. "You okay babe? You sound like a pig getting their tail chopped off."
"Yes Lisa I'm fine. Actually I'm great! Rhaina here just decided to change her nationality and play for Holland!!" Viv replied, washing her hands as quickly as she could. She grabbed her phone and started dialing I presumed Sarina to inform her of my decision. She headed to the other room to talk with Sarina.
"You did?" Lisa asked me.
"Yea, I thought about it for awhile and thought just why not." I answered with a small smile.
"Oh I'm so proud and happy for you. And obviously Viv is over the moon about it." Lisa said with a chuckle. I smiled even more feeling much more happy and confident with my answer now that I had said it out loud. I had actually decided quite a long time ago specifically the night after Viv had asked me. I hoped playing for Holland would be a good decision. I already knew Viv, Jill, Daan, Sari, and Dom so that would be nice. I didn't really know any of the girls on the US youth teams as I had been getting called up for the U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-23 teams here and there so never really stuck with one team so subsequently my connection with the other girls was quite minimal.
We started off 2019 with a match against West Ham. We finally had Kim back which was very good for us. We started the match off slow conceding first but we soon fought back and the game ended as a 4-2 win to us. I scored a header off of a corner in the 72nd minute that game.
On the 10th we played our League Cup quarter-final against Birmingham. It wasn't the best game we'd played this season, we went down 1 nil partway through the second half. In the 94th minute of the game I saw an opportunity, cutting off a pass from Birmingham and talking the ball down the left hand side of the pitch. As I neared the end line I cut the ball back and crossed the ball into the the middle just in front of the goal and Daan was able to tap the ball past the opposing keeper. I ran to her and hugged her, lifting her up in the air. I put her down when our other teammates came to celebrate.
In the dying seconds of stoppage time we got a corner off on the left side. I grabbed the ball and placed it on the line and took a few steps back ready to take the corner. I could see Viv lurking near the back post and the only person covering her was quite a few heads shorter and I was confident that if I curved the ball at the perfect angle to her that she could rise above the other heads. I raised my hand and leaned forward, then took the three steps and lifted the ball up. As soon as I hit the ball I knew I had added too much spin on it and that Viv would have to move closer to the goal in order to get it. Then it happened. The world seemed to slow, the ball went up, up going over all the heads in the box, then curving right at the top right corner then in an instant the back of the net rippled and the crowed roared.
I had scored an Olympico.
I saw my teammates running at me, elation filled their faces. Katie was the first to me jumping onto me almost making my knees buckle. The next thing I knew I was laying on the grass with the whole team piled onto me even the subs.
After about 3 minutes of celebrating we went back to the center of the field for the other team to kick off. As we waited I took my hair out of its ponytail as it had gotten all ruffled up thanks to the many pats on the head my teammates had given me. Birmingham kicked off but seconds later the whistle blew and I looked over at Beth and smiled. I pumped my fists into the air as she ran towards me. I hugged her as she exclaimed. "We did it Ray-Ray!!!!! We're headed to the semi-final!!!!!" I laughed and we walked towards our oncoming teammates who all joined our hug and we had one big group hug.
I headed over the the officials and the other team to shake their hands. Some of the other players congratulated me on my goal. I was awarded my first ever player of the match award and gave a short interview after. Fun fact about me, I hate HATE interviews with a passion. It's not that I've had bad experiences with them or with any interviewers. It's just that the camera's make me feel so self-conscious and anxious. I always try to stay away from cameras or if I ever really had to do an interview I would keep it as short as possible. I got my trophy, did the interview and took a few pictures. I also dislike taking pictures the bright flashes give me migraines and the thought of seeing a picture makes me feel self-conscious.
"You really don't like taking photos do you." Leah said as we walked towards the tunnel. I shook my head. "I get that, I used to be really self-conscious and hated seeing pictures of myself. But now I've kind of gotten used to it. Kinda comes with the job doesn't it."
I grimaced, taking pictures and doing interviews had be some of my worst fears when I had first signed for the club. Leah patted my on my head and put her arm around me protectively as we walked through a crowed of fans. I don't think Leah understood how much this meant to me. My anxiety skyrocketed whenever I was near a crowd especially a crowd of strangers who were all looking at me. We made it into the locker room safely and had a post-match talk then made our way back home.
Viv patted me on my head as we walked into the house. "I'm proud of you Kind." She gave me a peck on the head. Viv had recently started calling me Kind which meant Kid in Dutch. I didn't mind the nickname. Some of the other girls would just call me kid but when Viv said it it felt special and nice.
Breaking News!!!! 14 year old Rhaina Van Haan scores OLYMPICO and sends Arsenal to the League Cup semi-final.
At only 14 years old Rhaina Van Haan has become the hero of Arsenal. In their quarter-final match against Birmingham City this past weekend Arsenal put 2 away at home seeing them with a victory. However this was not a easy win for the Gunners. Birmingham scored a few minutes into the second half and held the lead until the last 6 minutes of the match. Van Haan assisted Danielle van de Donk in the 94th minute of the match. Then in the last minute of stoppage time when Arsenal got a corner who but Van Haan stepped up to take it. She curled it into the top right corner of the opposing side's goal. Van Haan became not only first person this season to score an Olympico but also the youngest person to ever score an Olympico in a professional match men's or women's in all of Europe. The Van Haan chronicles seem to never end.
We played Chelsea three days later but sadly lost the game 1-2. Dropping us to second in the league while Manchester City overtook us in the standings taking the number one position.
News that I would be playing for the Netherlands from now on had been released and shocked many people including my father. Two days before I headed to the Netherlands for the first time in 9 years I received a very angry text from my father.
Dad
Are you going to tell me why the fuck this
news article says that you're going to play
for the Dutch national team from now on?
{insert article from below}
Yea, sorry I forgot to tell you but Sarina contacted
me and told me that she was interested in me
playing for Holland's senior national team so I
decided to accept.
There is no fucking chance in hell that
you're going to play for any country
other than the United States. I won't let you
You will be calling that bitch and tell her that
you're not going to play for her. NOW
Actually I can and I will be playing for them. I
already told them that I will and you can't do
anything about it. It's my career and it's my
choice. So there's no debate.
Oh no you won't. I will go to England
and bring you back to the US if you don't
contact them telling you that you've changed
your mind. If you don't then there'll be
consequences.
Fine try. Try to make me go back to the US I
don't care what you'll do. You can't stop me
from playing for Holland. And you can't
change my mind. Do your best.
You ungrateful little bitch. You're going
to regret this.
I shut off my phone. I had finally after years of waiting lashed out against my father. Telling him what I actually felt. He was right though I would probably regret this later and fact the consequences but I didn't care. I was too mad.
(Article mentioned above)
Breaking News!!!! 14 year old Rhaina Van Haan will be changing national teams and from now on will play for the Dutch women's national team
Breakout start Rhaina Van Haan recived an official call up to join the Dutch women's national team and will be playing with their senior team from this upcoming camp this January. Van Haan currently plays in England at Arsenal where she has been excelling. Previosly she has been playing with the US women's national team's youth squads. She has been called up for the U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-23 squads. She went to the U-17, U-19, and U-23 World Cups held this past year and winning gold in all three tournaments, as well as winning golden boot in the U-17 and U-19 tournaments. She will bet the youngest player to ever be called up for any senior national team. She will be joining her fellow Arsenal teammates Vivianne Miedema, Sari van Veenendal, Jill Roord, Dominique Janssen, and Danielle van de Donk in the up coming weeks in the Netherlands where the Dutch will face Costa Rica. Will we see history made even further with a debut from this 14 year old super striker?