Another Cheesy Outing Sinks the Dutch

Whoa! Was Luis van Gaal that vital to the Netherlands national side?

The Dutch lost yet again to a lower-profile outfit. This time, it was Mexico in a 3-2 thriller.

The Netherlands, as it often does, assembled a terrific World Cup campaign in Brazil last summer, but everything after that has been a bummer. The departure of tactical mastermind van Gaal has taken a toll on them, it seems. The Oranje have now dropped four of five competitive matches. Do note, though, Mexico have been on a positive run, with four wins and a draw in its last five.

But still.

Mexico had been 0-4 against the Dutch prior to this friendly, and a look at the match stats would indicate they should be 0-5 now. But remember the old adage: There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Carlos Vela -- back from being lost in the wilderness -- opened the scoring when he netted an impressive long-range howitzer, only to be nullified by an equally impressive Wesley Snijder special. Vela, super-sub Javier Hernández, and Daley Blind added to the score sheet later on.

It'll become immediately clear that the Dutch blew a golden opportunity to ensure a draw. Buzzard's luck.

With newly appointed manager Guus Hiddnik vowing to quit if Netherlands fail the Euro Cup qualification, things need to change, and quickly.

Here's the Oranje attitude before the 2014 World Cup:

And here's the sorry afterburn since Brazil:

So, putting it mildly, the Dutch prospects in Euro 2016 could use a bit of a boost right now. They're currently in Group A's dreaded wild card slot:

And yes, it's fair to ask, what's Iceland doing up there? But that's another topic for another time. Suffice it for now to say they're playing like the Netherlands used to.