You could feel Kenneth Vermeer smile from underneath his LAFC face mask, as the upcoming rivalry match between LAFC and the Galaxy was mentioned to him. It is a now three-year old rivalry that has been intense, promises to be another tough battle between the teams on Saturday, July 18 when they meet in The LAFC Is Back Tournament.
“I’ve played in some derbies in my career so far,” Vermeer said.
That might be the understatement of the season so far, as the 34-year old Dutch international has seen both sides of one of the most classic rivalry matches in international football. Such a classic – that in Holland the match-up between Ajax and Feyenoord is simply known as De Klassieker.
The first match between the two clubs took place in 1921, and in the years since the rivalry has taken on the deep cultural and city rivalry of Amsterdam (Ajax) and Rotterdam (Feyenoord).
“These are always special games,” Vermeer said. “It is always fun to play in games like this, against your biggest rivals. The only thing that matters is to win.”
In Der Klassieker, Ajax is said to represent the “artists” of Amsterdam against the “working” city of Rotterdam. It is a match-up that produces passion, great drama and occasionally fan violence.
“In Holland, Feyenoord vs. Ajax is the biggest game of the season,” Vermeer said. “The days before the game, when you go out to breakfast or lunch – that is all you hear about. You see a lot of fireworks and fans, they just want you to do everything for the Club.”
Vermeer has a unique perspective on the Dutch Derby, as he played nine seasons for Ajax before moving to Feyenoord, where he played five seasons. Vermeer’s move between the rivals sparked a controversial racial incident in 2016 directed at him from the Ajax supporters.
“I’ve never seen the [derby] in L.A. yet,” Vermeer said. “I am excited, and I know that we need to focus and play our game. That is what you need to do in a rivalry game and I am confident we can get a good result.”
